Artisanal Enlightenment : Science and the Mechanical Arts in Old Regime France / Paola Bertucci.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Bertucci, Paola, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--France--History--18th century.

Science.

Science--Philosophy.

Enlightenment--France.

Enlightenment.

France--Intellectual life--18th century.

France.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (300 pages) : illustrations

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2017]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

A groundbreaking work that places the mechanical arts and the world of making at the heart of the Enlightenment What would the Enlightenment look like from the perspective of artistes, the learned artisans with esprit, who presented themselves in contrast to philosophers, savants, and routine-bound craftsmen? Making a radical change of historical protagonists, Paola Bertucci places the mechanical arts and the world of making at the heart of the Enlightenment. At a time of great colonial, commercial, and imperial concerns, artistes planned encyclopedic projects and sought an official role in the administration of the French state. The Société des Arts, which they envisioned as a state institution that would foster France's colonial and economic expansion, was the most ambitious expression of their collective aspirations. Artisanal Enlightenment provides the first in-depth study of the Société, and demonstrates its legacy in scientific programs, academies, and the making of Diderot and D'Alembert's Encyclopédie. Through insightful analysis of textual, visual, and material sources, Bertucci provides a groundbreaking perspective on the politics of writing on the mechanical arts and the development of key Enlightenment concepts such as improvement, utility, and progress.

Contents:

Frontmatter

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

INTRODUCTION: SAVANTS, ARTISANS, ARTISTES

Part 1. THE NATURAL HISTORY OF THE ARTS

Chapter 1. LOST KNOWLEDGE AND THE HISTORY OF THE ARTS

Chapter 2. RÉAUMUR AND THE SCIENCE OF THE ARTS

Part 2. THE SOCIÉTÉ DES ARTS

Chapter 3. THEORY, PRACTICE, IMPROVEMENT

Chapter 4. SOCIETY OF ARTS

Part 3. WRITING AND MAKING

Chapter 5. THE POLITICS OF WRITING ABOUT MAKING

Chapter 6. L'ESPRIT IN THE MACHINE

EPILOGUE

Appendix: MEMBERS OF THE SOCIÉTÉ DES ARTS (1728-1740S)

NOTES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

INDEX

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Nov 2019)

ISBN:

0-300-23162-8

OCLC:

1007823333