Adolphe Quetelet, Social Physics and the Average Men of Science, 1796-1874

Offers an interpretation of Quetelet's work that wholly justifies serious and systemic historical treatment. . . . Donnelly's purpose is neither to praise Quetelet nor to bury his reputation, but to situate his work in the history of nineteenth-century scientific institution-building and its relations to the practices of government. The biography is a timely achievement.

Steven Shapin, Journal of Interdisciplinary History

Adolphe Quetelet was an influential astronomer and statistician whose controversial work inspired heated debate in European and American intellectual circles. In creating a science designed to explain the “average man,” he helped contribute to the idea of normal, most enduringly in his creation of the Quetelet Index, which came to be known as the Body Mass Index. Kevin Donnelly presents the first scholarly biography of Quetelet, exploring his contribution to quantitative reasoning, his place in nineteenth-century intellectual history, and his profound influence on the modern idea of average.

More Praise

In this important and perceptive book, Kevin Donnelly casts new light on the scientific life of Adolphe Quetelet. Particularly in view of the wide range of his scientific interests, Quetelet remains a curiously understudied figure in the history of nineteenth-century science. This new biographical study goes a long way in correcting that deficit. It offers fascinating insights and will prove indispensable reading for anyone interested in the origins of the nineteenth-century rise of quantification.

Iwan Rhys Morus, Aberystwyth University

After reading all I could about Quetelet, I came away thinking that there was a serious need for a proper treatment of the man, and I was extremely happy to see that this book existed. It is very informative and provides the first sustained treatment of the most famous scientist no one has ever heard of. People need to know about Quetelet.

Todd Rose, Harvard University

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232 Pages, 6 x 9 in.

May, 2019

isbn : 9780822966081

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about the author

Kevin Padraic Donnelly is an associate professor of history at Alvernia University. His scholarship has appeared in the British Journal for the History of Science, History of Science, PUBLIC Journal, and History of Meteorology, and he has published several chapters in edited volumes on the role of statistics and science in shaping social thought. His previous book is a well-acclaimed history of the pioneering nineteenth-century statistician Adolphe Quetelet.

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