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The Influence Of Kant's Philosophy On The Young H. C. Ørsted

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Hans Christian Ørsted And The Romantic Legacy In Science

Part of the book series: Boston Studies In The Philosophy Of Science ((BSPS,volume 241))

In attempting to answer the question why it was H. C. Ørsted (1777–1851) who discovered electromagnetism, historians of science have discussed whether Ørsted was influenced by Schelling’s Naturphilosophie or rather by Kant’s philosophy. Thus, R. C. Stauffer and L. P. Williams have seen Ørsted’s discovery of electromagnetism as closely related to the influence which J. W. F. Schelling’s Naturphilosophie had exerted on Ørsted prior to the discovery; the main point being that Ørsted did not perceive of electricity, heat, light, and magnetism as imponderable, corpuscular fluids but as forces of a common origin.

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Nielsen, K., Andersen, H. (2007). The Influence Of Kant's Philosophy On The Young H. C. Ørsted. 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_6

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