Uncertain chances : science, skepticism, and belief in nineteenth-century American literature /
The role of chance changed in the nineteenth century, and American literature changed with it. Long dismissed as a nominal concept, chance was increasingly treated as a natural force to be managed but never mastered. New theories of chance sparked religious and philosophical controversies while revo...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford [England] ; New York :
Oxford University Press,
©2012.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | The role of chance changed in the nineteenth century, and American literature changed with it. Long dismissed as a nominal concept, chance was increasingly treated as a natural force to be managed but never mastered. New theories of chance sparked religious and philosophical controversies while revolutionizing the sciences as probabilistic methods spread from mathematics, economics, and sociology to physics and evolutionary biology. Chance also became more visible in everyday life, as Americans attempted to control its power through weather forecasting, insurance policies, military strategy, a. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (x, 239 pages) |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780199797578 0199797579 9780199797677 0199797676 9780199932412 0199932417 |