John Robison and Natural Philosohy in the Scottish Enlightenment

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John Robison (1739-1805) was a professor of natural philosophy (i.e., physics) at the University of Edinburgh. In his career Professor Robison was deeply involved in several major events in the history of science and technology, including development of the steam engine and breakthroughs in the science of chemistry. He also shaped his home discipline, physics, in ways that lay the foundation for revolutionary scientific developments in the nineteenth century. For all this, there has been no extensive historical study of Robison. Using original manuscript sources, the present study will remedy this oversight, thereby illuminating the connection between conceptual aspects of scienec and a person's national and institutional position. The results will be incorporated into a book, provisionally titled Natural Philosophy in the Scottish Enlightenment.