The Philosophical Breakfast Club and the Invention of the Scientist

Dr. Laura J. Snyder, Associate Professor of Philosophy at St. John's University in New York City, presents a lecture based on her book "The Philosophical Breakfast Club: Four Remarkable Friends who Transformed Science and Changed the World" (Broadway Books, 2011.)

Charles Babbage, John Herschel, Richard Jones, and William Whewell met at Cambridge in 1812 and through their friendship proceeded to transform what was known as natural philosophy into the discipline of science. Over the following 60 years the four men corresponded and visited frequently, traveled together, jointly conducted experiments, read and critiqued each other's manuscripts, and of course had breakfast.

Archived video of the lecture originally given Tuesday, December 6, 2011. Read the published lecture here.