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After a period of decline in the late seventeenth century,
the first decades of the eighteenth century saw a renewed
interest and vitality on the part of the Society in the
area of scientific research. Spurred by the vigorous intellectual
climate of the Enlightenment, scientific writings by members
of the Society increase in number and begin to show a marked
tendency away from traditional Aristotelian topics and
the quasi-mystical theories of Kircher and his school,
and toward the developing sciences of engineering, natural
history and technology.
Ruggiero Giuseppe Boscovich, 1711-1787
As Athanasius Kircher dominated seventeenth-century Jesuit
science, Ruggiero Giusseppe Boscovich was pre-eminent among
Jesuit scientists of the eighteenth century. But whereas
Kircher's books are regarded today as primarily curiosities,
the work of Boscovich in astronomy, optics, mathematics
and engineering remains in high repute. Born in Ragusa,
he was a professor of mathematics at several institutions,
including the Roman College, where he planned the observatory.
He suggested and directed the draining of the Pontine marshes
near Rome, and recommended the use of iron bands to control
the spread of cracks in the dome of St. Peter's basilica.
He was instrumental in softening ecclesiastical hostility
to the Copernican system, and helped popularize the theories
of Newton.
Parere di tre mattematici sopra i danni, che si sono
trovati nella cupola de S. Pietro sul fine dell'anno
MDCCXLII,
data per ordine di Nostro Signore Papa Benedetto XIV. (Rome,
1743?)
These engravings show a) the system devised by Boscovich
to repair the dome of St. Peter's, and b) one of the many
optical instruments he invented.
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Dome of St. Peters |
Optical Device |
Guillame-Hyacinthe Bougeant, 1690-1743
A philosophical amusement upon the language of beasts... (Dublin, 1739)
A translation of the author's Amusements philosophique
sur le langage des bestes. This light-hearted refutation
of Descarte's opinions regarding communication among animals
eventually landed the author in prison.
Jacopo Belgrado, 1704-1789
Belgrado was court mathematician and confessor
to Duke Philoppo at Parma, where he also established an
observatory. He wrote widely on heat, geometry and the
still relatively unexplored phenomenon of electricity.
I fenomeni elettrici, con i corollarj da lor dedotti,
e con i fonti di ciò che rende malagevole la ricerca
del principio elettrico... (Parma, 1749)
Journal de Trévoux ou Mémoires pour servir à l'histoire
des sciences et des arts. (Trévoux, Lyon or Paris,
1701-1767; reprinted Geneva, 1968)
This monthly journal review of the arts, sciences and
letters was established by Jesuits Jacques Philippe Lallemant
and Michel Le Tellier in 1701. At first, the concentration
was on abstracts and reviews of current books, but gradually
it broadened its scope until by the middle of the century
the Journal de Trévoux included evaluations of the
major intellectual themes of the age. Although often considered
merely as the mouthpiece of the Church against the French
philosophes, the journal provided a forum for much valid
original scientific research by jesuits and others. The
engraving illustrates a total eclipse of the sun observed
by Jesuit astronomers at Avignon in May, 1706.
Home Page || Introduction:
Jesuits and the Sciences
1540-1619 || 1620-1659 ||
1660-1719 || 1720-1773 || 1814-1900 ||
1901-1995 ||
Bibliography
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