Seduced by Logic: Émilie Du Châtelet, Mary Somerville and the Newtonian Revolution

By Robyn Arianrhod

Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Science & Math

Robyn Arianrhod tells the story of two women who helped spread Isaac Newton's ideas: the French aristocrat Émilie du Châtelet and the Scottish scientist Mary Somerville. Du Châtelet translated and explained Newton's Principia in France, while a century later Somerville popularised mathematical astronomy in Britain. Arianrhod describes their lives, their struggles against the limits placed on women, and their real contributions to science, explaining the physics in an accessible way.

Recommended by 1 person

• Shane Parrish: “The fascinating tale of Émilie du Châtelet, who defied the norms of the time and dedicated her life to pursuing her love of mathematics and Voltaire. Despite lacking easy access to academic training and the informal epicenters of intellectual life, she willed herself into a mathematician and trailblazer.”