Danes refer to the first half of the 19th century as the Golden Age, a time when the interaction between philosophy, art, and science was closer than it is today. The broad spectrum of his interests reveals that Ørsted was very much a man of his time. This is, of course, the primary focus of this symposium. But it was also an era which recognized the fact that scientific techniques and recently acquired scientific knowledge could exert an important and beneficial influence on industry, society, and the lives of ordinary citizens. Ørsted’s activities in this area increased throughout his life, and they are in no small part responsible for Denmark’s continuing affection for him. In this paper we would like to suggest the remarkable scope of Ørsted’s tireless efforts to use the natural sciences in the service of his country.
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See, for example, Selected Scientific Works of Hans Christian Ørsted, K. Jelved, A. D. Jackson, and O. Knudsen, (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1998) for an English language translation of these and Ørsted’s other scientific writings.
Ørsted and his brother, Anders Sandøe, became close friends with Oehlenschläger as students in the late 1790s in Copenhagen. Their close relationship was strengthened by A. S. Ørsted’s marriage to Adam’s sister, Sophie.
See Jelved et al., Selected Scientific Works of Hans Christian Ørsted …, p. 282.
See Jelved et al. Selected Scientific Works of Hans Christian Ørsted, p. 139.
The records from the early years of SNU are to be found at the Niels Bohr Archive in Copenhagen, where they lie largely undisturbed in cardboard boxes—a fascinating source for future research.
The fluid to be studied was placed in a vessel fitted with a narrow tube and sealed with a drop of mercury. This vessel was placed in a larger, water-filled container to which pressure could be applied by a piston. The volume of the water could be determined, from the height of the mercury drop, with confidence since its container was subject to equal internal and external pressures.
Grundtvig’s high schools were funded from other sources and played a significant role in Danish society. Although they still exist, their importance is now on the wane.
Ørsted was one of the first to recognize the promise of H. C. Andersen, and their friendship was warm. Andersen’s weekly visits to the Ørsted home continued throughout Ørsted’s life.
See Marie-Louise Berner: “Oh, our age is the Golden Age of inventions” in Intersections (Gyldendal, Copenhagen, 2000), pp. 122–137.
The intensity of Ørsted’s teaching obligations is remarkable given his scientific accomplishments. It is no less remarkable for being “self-inflicted”. By contrast, Niels Bohr was freed from all University teaching responsibilities in 1927.
It should be emphasized that Ørsted held no formal government office and had no formal power base. His successful endeavors was due solely to the quality of his arguments and the general conviction that he was providing fair and unbiased advice.
Ørsted suggested a new term of Danish-Germanic origin for meteorology vejrligslære, but it never caught on. See Henrik Andersen: “H. C. Ørsted’s Contribution to the Danish Language” in Intersections (Copenhagen: Gyldendal, 2000), pp. 138–149.
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Jelved, K., Jackson, A.D. (2007). The Other Side Of Ørsted: Civil Obedience. In: Brain, R.M., Cohen, R.S., Knudsen, O. (eds) Hans Christian Ørsted And The Romantic Legacy In Science. Boston Studies In The Philosophy Of Science, vol 241. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-2987-5_2
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