Weird Scientists
The daughter of a shoemaker and inventor of the aquarium
Who is Jeannette Villepreux-Power?
What French philosopher, famous for his Social Contract, said this: "The natural difference between men does not at all explain their social inequality--it is History which renders them unequal, not their Nature."
Who is Rousseau?
A 17th-century naturalist known for her portrayals of ecosystems and interspecies interactions
Who is Maria Sibylla Merian?
According to this ethical philosophy, all beings with the capacity for reason deserve compassion and respect.
What is sentientism?
Cabinets of curiosity--collections of "unusual" art and specimens--are also known as these (translated from German as "wonder rooms!")
What are Wunderkammern?
Known for his careful observations of nature and inductive conclusions
What 18th-century French naturalist, after facing criticism for his "flowery, un-scientific" language in the Histoire Naturelle, declared that "Style is the man himself"?
Who is the Comte de Buffon?
An 18th-century scientist interested in preserving food and decaying bodies
Who is Madame d'Arconville?
It's the more modern term for a "natural philosopher."
What is a scientist?
Cabinets of curiosity are sometimes called the precursor to museums--but unlike modern-day museums, cabinets of curiosity were found in this setting:
What is the home?
A 19th-century naturalist known for his works on comparative anatomy and his commentary on the concept of extinction
Who is Georges Cuvier?
Which French Romantic-era writer declared "A large soul must contain more sorrows than a small one" in reference to his protagonist Réné?
Who is François-Réné de Chateaubriand?
Known for her fairytales, she often personified animals and thought of them as equals
Who is Madame d'Aulnoy?
According to this philosophy commonly held by most Western societies, humans are the most important beings in the universe.
What is anthropocentrism?
In addition to writing L'Histoire Naturelle (The Natural History), the famous French naturalist Comte de Buffon also served as director of this prestigious Cabinet of Curiosities:
What is the Cabinet du Roi?
Responsible for an incorrect but significant contribution to the classification of plant and animal species
Who is Carl von Linné?
"I think, therefore I am"
Who is René Descartes?
She took drawing and painting lessons from Madeleine Françoise Basseporte
Who is Marie-Marguerite Biheron?
Spearheaded in the late 18th and early 19th centuries by thinkers like François-René de Chateaubriand and Madame de Staël, this artistic and literary movement depicted nature as something awe-inspiring and "pure."
What is romanticism?
While many Cabinets of Curiosity served as a way for privileged men to showcase their wealth and sophistication, the one run by this French noblewoman also served as a school open to the general public:
Who is Marie-Marguerite Biheron?
He studied comparative anatomy in Paris and was interested in the compositional similarities between species
Who is Étienne Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire?
Influenced by Rousseau and furthers the question of man's place in nature
Who is Henri Bernardin de Saint-Pierre?
Using her aquarium, she studied the nautilus Argonauta argo and discovered that it grows its own shell
Who is Jeannette Villepreux Power?
Coined by Edward Saïd, it's a style of thought rooted in colonialism which exaggerates and sensationalizes differences between "East" and "West."
What is orientalism?
From 1835 to 1908, Williams College had its own cabinet of curiosities. It was made up of 64 objects--including rocks, weapons, footwear--unethically collected by alumnus Sanford B. Dole and his fellow missionaries on these islands:
What are the Hawaiian islands?