Scientific experiments [ Politics & Society / Science ]
… of sociability that characterized British society in the eighteenth century. They were shown in learned societies, educational institutions, clubs, assembly rooms, coffeehouses, and taverns. Experiments occurred in settings of social interaction and conversation; they were performed as part of educational curricula and in public lectures offered to paying audiences. As epistemic practices, they were shaped by … dramatic results. Priestley and his associates were accused of unleashing social unrest by their efforts at scientific education. An incautious remark by Priestley about the established church having reason to fear the influence of the air …
Audience | Coffeehouses | Conversation | Public sphere | Science
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