{"product_id":"of-the-plurality-of-worlds-an-essay-paperback-9781108000185","title":"Of the Plurality of Worlds; An Essay (Paperback \/ softback) 9781108000185","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eOf the Plurality of Worlds\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\u003cfont size=\"5\"\u003eAn Essay\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eWilliam Whewell's controversial 1853 essay arguing against the possible existence of life elsewhere in the universe.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eWilliam Whewell (Author)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781108000185, Cambridge University Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 20 July 2009\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e296 pages\u003cbr\u003e21.6 x 14 x 1.7 cm, 0.38 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eThis controversial essay, first published in 1853, addresses the question of the existence of intelligent life on other planets. It was first published anonymously, owing to the ferocity of the ongoing debates between the religious and scientific scholarly communities. Its author, William Whewell (1794-1866) was a leading intellectual of the Victorian period, and a notable polymath. A contemporary and adviser of Herschel, Darwin and Faraday, he wrote extensively on subjects ranging from astronomy and mineralogy to moral philosophy, educational reform and architecture, and engaged with John Stuart Mill in a lively debate about inductive reasoning. In Of The Plurality of Worlds, Whewell denied the probability of life elsewhere in the universe, afraid that the concept of extraterrestrial life would encourage the theory of evolution and put at risk mankind's connection to God.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e1. Astronomical discoveries\u003cbr\u003e 2. Astronomical objection to religion\u003cbr\u003e 3. The answer from the microscope\u003cbr\u003e 4. Further statement of the difficulty\u003cbr\u003e 5. Geology\u003cbr\u003e 6. The argument from geology\u003cbr\u003e 7. The nebulae\u003cbr\u003e 8. The fixed stars\u003cbr\u003e 9. The planets\u003cbr\u003e 10. Theory of the solar system\u003cbr\u003e 11. The argument from design\u003cbr\u003e 12. The unity of the world\u003cbr\u003e 13. The future.\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eSubject Areas: History of ideas [\u003ca title=\"See our other books on History of ideas\" href=\"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/search?q=%22History%20of%20ideas%20%5BJFCX%5D%22\"\u003eJFCX\u003c\/a\u003e]\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Cambridge University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46265894175000,"sku":"9781108000185","price":25.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0730\/2037\/5320\/products\/9781108000185i_f27135fe-c13f-49f1-85f6-7639f0c95e98.jpg?v=1694867002","url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/of-the-plurality-of-worlds-an-essay-paperback-9781108000185","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}