European Metals in Native Hands: Rethinking Technological Change, 1640-1683 (review)

Britain First? If they really intend to suggest a system of only “apparent knowledge” then they are casting severe doubts on that whole notion of useful and reliable knowledge that is presently being built up by a goodly number of historians of science, technology, and culture. The stories of Desaguliers, of the Spitalfields Mathematical Society, and of James Watt are told once more, and neatly enough, but despite an intention to explore the relations and tensions within the world encompassing both philosophers and engineers (“the critical space” [p. 97]), the authors are seemingly unaware of a common usage of the term “philosophical engineer” in Britain as early as the 1770s. Again, the almost entire omission of the Scottish culture of philosophy and engineering, with its fundamental impact on English metropolitan and provincial culture, is disturbing and severely qualifies any generalizations designed to inform us about relations between science and industry or between province and metropolis. Finally, the failure to even consider the diffusion and popularizations of Newtonianism in the urban area and environs of Cambridge itself seems strange given the stress on elite–craft relations, on London and its connections, on the diffusion of knowledge, and the Newtonian inspiration of it all. In summary, the scope of this book is not quite as wide-ranging as it at first seems, and because of this the academic audience is difficult to identify, while lay folk might be mystified by so many passing references to themes not fully explained. Despite its title, most of the material relates to England, empire is dealt with rather shortly, and the early nineteenth century is neglected. Above all, the matter that was practical remains highly problematic.