Address delivered before the British Association assembled at Belfast

Name: Address delivered before the British Association assembled at Belfast
Author: John Tyndall

By John Tyndall

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About This Book

The speaker opens by answering public criticism of his opinions, then explores humanity's early impulse to explain natural phenomena by projecting human traits onto unseen powers and the subsequent shift toward seeking physical causes. He attributes the rise of scientific inquiry to commercial exchange and free-thinking, outlines the move to abstract ideas such as atoms and molecules to place events under law rather than caprice, and urges a separation between personal religious feeling and its institutional forms, suggesting that scientific understanding will gradually reshape belief without prescribing any particular creed.

About the Author

John Tyndall

John Tyndall was a prominent 19th-century physicist and mountaineer, known for his contributions to the understanding of light and heat. His work in atmospheric physics and his explorations in the Alps significantly advanced the study of glaciers and their formation. Tyndall's notable writings include "Six Lectures on Light," which elucidates the principles of optics, and "The Glaciers of the Alps," where he combines scientific inquiry with personal narrative. His essays, such as "Essays on the Use and Limit of the Imagination in Science," reflect his philosophical approach to science, emphasizing the interplay between imagination and empirical observation.