David Wootton
David Wootton is a British historian and academic known for his work on the history of science, political thought, and intellectual history. He has written extensively on figures such as Galileo, Machiavelli, and Hobbes, and has contributed to the understanding of the development of modern scientific and political ideas.
Books
This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.
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1. The Invention Of Science
A New History of the Scientific Revolution
This book delves into the transformative period of the Scientific Revolution, spanning from 1572 to 1704, and examines how this era fundamentally altered humanity's understanding of the natural world. It explores the pivotal discoveries and inventions that emerged during this time, such as the telescope and the microscope, and highlights the profound impact these advancements had on society, culture, and philosophy. The narrative weaves together the stories of key figures, including Galileo, Newton, and Descartes, to illustrate how their groundbreaking work laid the foundation for modern science, reshaping the way humans perceive and interact with the universe.
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2. A Invenção Da Ciência – Nova História Da Revolução Científica
Nova História Da Revolução Científica
This insightful work delves into the transformative period of the Scientific Revolution, challenging traditional narratives and exploring how the emergence of modern science reshaped our understanding of the world. It examines the pivotal figures, groundbreaking discoveries, and the cultural shifts that facilitated the transition from medieval to modern thought. By re-evaluating historical events and ideas, the book offers a fresh perspective on how science became a dominant force in shaping human progress and intellectual development.
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3. Bad Medicine
Doctors Doing Harm Since Hippocrates
A concise, critical history of Western healing that argues doctors long did more harm than good, sustained by deference to ancient authority and ineffective practices like bloodletting, until the adoption of measurement, experimentation, anesthesia, antisepsis, and germ theory in the nineteenth century began to make treatments genuinely beneficial; it contends that progress in care is irregular and requires skepticism, quantification, and the willingness to abandon failed therapies.
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4. Power, Pleasure, And Profit
Insatiable Appetites from Machiavelli to Madison
A history of ideas that traces how, from the Renaissance to the Enlightenment, thinkers recast human motives around self-interest, as the pursuit of power, pleasure, and profit displaced classical virtue. Through figures like Machiavelli, Hobbes, Mandeville, Hume, Smith, Bentham, and Madison, it charts the rise of modern political economy and liberal institutions built on unintended consequences and the invisible hand. It argues that this shift normalized self-love as a public good while exposing enduring tensions over happiness, legitimacy, and inequality.
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