The Dynamics of Progress: Time, Method and Measure - Hardcover

Macey, Samuel L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0820311596 ISBN 13: 9780820311593

Publisher: University of Georgia Press, 1990

Synopsis

In Chaucer's day, an hour varied between 40 and 80 minutes, depending on the latitude and time of year. Since then our time measurements have become much more exact; today the second is defined by the vibration of caesium 133 atoms. Similarly, our irrational measures of length, area, weight and volume were often related to the diverse sizes of man and varied widely in different jurisdictions until the metric systems was devised. The development of increasingly precise measurements are an essential part of what Samuel Macey identifies as the West's wide-ranging effort to "rationalize" human activity - to simplify and standardize the way we work and communicate with one another. In "The Dynamics of Progress", Macey examines the history of such rationalizations as they have manifested themselves not only in temporal and spatial measurement but also in the development of language, numerical systems and the processes of production, distribution and finance. He identifies a symbiotic relationship among these different types of rationalization, aiming to demonstrate that without the rationalizing of time, weights and measures, numbers and language, the scientific, technological and industrial advances of the past three hundred years would have been inconceivable. In addition to discussing rationalization in its various forms, Macey also addresses reactions against it.

About this title

Review

"This is a provocative juxtaposition of topics, and even professional historians could profitably reflect on their mutual relationships and implications. Interpreting rationality in terms of standardization provides a highly promising way to integrate history of science with technological, economic, and especially social and political history."--"American Historical Review"

"This fascinating study of time is both a sound contribution to scholarship and a lively story that will be of interest for a wider public, a story told in refreshingly clear and jargon-free prose."--"Time's News"

This is a provocative juxtaposition of topics, and even professional historians could profitably reflect on their mutual relationships and implications. Interpreting rationality in terms of standardization provides a highly promising way to integrate history of science with technological, economic, and especially social and political history.--"American Historical Review"

This fascinating study of time is both a sound contribution to scholarship and a lively story that will be of interest for a wider public, a story told in refreshingly clear and jargon-free prose.--"Time's News"

About the Author

Samuel L. Macey is an emeritus professor of English at the University of Victoria, where he was also the Dean of Graduate Studies. He is founder of the English Literary Studies Monograph Series and a former president of the International Society for the Study of Time. Among his books are "Clocks and the Cosmos: Time in Western Life and T""ho""ught, Patriarchs of Time: Dualism in Saturn-Cronus, Father Time, the Watchmaker God, and Father Christmas" (Georgia), "Time: A Bibliographic Guide," and "Encyclopedia of Time."

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Georgia Press
• Publication date: 1990
• ISBN 10: 0820311596
• ISBN 13: 9780820311593
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 272