Title: Sympathetic attractions
First published: 1996
Description: In this interdisciplinary study of eighteenth-century England, Patricia Fara explores how natural philosophers constructed magnetism as a science, appropriating the skills and knowledge of experienced navigators. For people of this period, magnetic phenomena reverberated with the symbolism of occult mystery, sexual attraction, and universal sympathies; in this maritime nation, magnetic instruments such as navigational compasses heralded imperial expansion, commercial gain, and scientific progress.

By analyzing such multiple associations, Fara reconstructs cultural interactions in the days just prior to the creation of disciplinary science. Not only does this illustrated book provide a kaleidoscopic view of a changing society, but it also portrays the emergence of public science.
Subjects: History, Science, Magnets, SOCIAL SCIENCE, Popular Culture, Anthropology, Cultural, POLITICAL SCIENCE, Public Policy, Cultural Policy, Science, history
Places: England
Time periods: 18th century
LC classification: QC750.4 .F37 1996