Humboldt

Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

2.5

Word count: 27K words
Chapters: 3

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Humboldt by Robert Green IngersollAuthor: Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899,Language: English, Class: BL: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion: Religion: General, Miscellaneous and Atheism, Release Date: Nov 22, 2011

Editor's review

This work is Ingersoll's commentary on Humboldt, a public-domain ebook in the religion, philosophy, and atheism category. Ingersoll discusses Humboldt and his intellectual contributions in the manner of an orator, with the eloquence and strongly argumentative flavor of nineteenth-century public speaking. For readers interested in the history of scientific thought, the Enlightenment tradition, and the relationship between religion and science, this short book offers an interpretive perspective from a specific historical context and helps illuminate Ingersoll's own intellectual stance. Because it is brief, it works well as supplementary reading for a thematic study or for understanding how nineteenth-century American freethinkers shaped the image of scientific figures. Read it as a historical document and expression of opinion, not as a complete biography of Humboldt.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Readers interested in the history of scientific thought and the Enlightenment tradition
Readers studying nineteenth-century freethought and religious debate
Readers who want to understand Ingersoll's oratorical and argumentative style
Learners who need public-domain English material for thematic reading

Not a good fit for

Readers expecting a systematic, complete biography of Humboldt
Readers seeking conclusions from contemporary history of science research
Readers who prefer reading in Chinese and are unfamiliar with English

Reading tips

Learn about Humboldt's life and the nineteenth-century intellectual background first, then read this text to see what the author selects and omits.
Compare the claims in the text with reliable works on the history of science, distinguishing oratorical rhetoric from factual statements.
Read alongside other speeches by Ingersoll to observe the continuity of his freethought stance.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this a complete biography of Humboldt?

No. It is Ingersoll's commentary on Humboldt, short in length and focused on expressing the author's understanding of Humboldt and the significance of his thought. It is speech and argumentative writing and cannot replace a systematic biography of Humboldt or a work of history of science.

What language level is needed to read this book?

This is an English public-domain ebook and requires some English reading ability. The text has a nineteenth-century oratorical style, with long sentences and much rhetoric; read it with annotations or background material to follow the argument.

Is this book suitable for academic citation?

It can be cited as primary material for studying Ingersoll's thought or nineteenth-century freethought discourse, but for specific facts about Humboldt's life and scientific contributions, check authoritative works on the history of science and avoid treating rhetorical statements in a speech as historical fact.

Comments

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About the author

Ingersoll, Robert Green, 1833-1899 Author

Robert Green Ingersoll (1833–1899) was a prominent nineteenth-century American orator and writer, known for his eloquence and his critique of religious orthodoxy. This site holds thirty-two of his works, including lecture collections and collected writings, commonly classified under inspirational growth. Representative titles include Walt Whitman: An Address, the multi-volume Works of Robert G. Ingersoll, and Hell: Warm Words on the Cheerful and Comforting Doctrine of Eternal Damnation. His prose is direct and incisive, using parallel structure and satire to address reason, free thought, and moral questions before ordinary audiences. His speeches were widely influential in his day and remain important sources for studying the American freethought tradition. Because public information is limited, biographical details are omitted; readers may sense his argumentative style and intellectual concerns through these works.