Memoirs of Dr. Joseph Priestley

Volume 1 of this 1807 work details the life and thought of eighteenth-century British intellectual Joseph Priestley.

Joseph Priestley (Author), Thomas Cooper (Author)

9781108014199, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 10 June 2010

504 pages
21.6 x 14 x 2.9 cm, 0.64 kg

Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) was an eighteenth-century English polymath with accomplishments in the fields of science, pedagogy, philosophy and theology. Among his more notable achievements were the discovery of oxygen and his work in establishing Unitarianism. Often a controversialist, Priestley's efforts to develop a 'rational' Christianity and support for the French Revolution eventually made him unwelcome in his native land. His 1807 Memoirs relate the story of his life until the time of his 1794 emigration to America and include other biographical materials written by his son. This first volume also contains five appendices discussing his philosophy, scientific work and religious opinions. Priestley's memoirs are an important source for anyone interested in the state of epistemology, rationalism, and religious belief in the age of the Enlightenment, and in a man who, in the words of his son, 'gave unremitting exertions in the cause of truth'.

Preface
Memoirs with notes
Continuation of the Memoirs
Appendices. 1. An account of Dr. Priestley's discoveries in chemistry, and of his writings on that, and other scientific subjects
2. An account of his metaphysical writings
3. An account of his political works and opinions
4. An account of his miscellaneous writings
5. A summary of his religious opinions.

Subject Areas: Physical chemistry [PNR]