Passionate Minds
The Great Enlightenment Love Affair
I'd left two 'trap-doors' in my E=mc² book: pathways to further topics that I knew I'd want to turn to later. The first of those was the life of the quite wonderful Émilie du Châtelet, and I’ll give longer extracts here than for my other books. In our own era, when Enlightenment values of rationality and evidence are under threat, her life and work are more relevant than ever.
Here's an overview from the introduction and a hint of where the story ends up; then a look at du Châtelet's marriage and a first dangerous liaison; there's the start of her shared years with Voltaire, and a glimpse of the catastrophe at the end.
Here's a video clip where I give an overview of the book; here's another where I go into that disastrous ending.
Reviews
“Passionate Minds is both glorious and heartbreaking. For two centuries Emilie du Châtelet has been a quiet heroine, her name rarely invoked outside the science classroom. Now David Bodanis has not only brought her to life, but also uncovered one of the great love affairs of the eighteenth century.”
“Fast-paced, engrossing, and enlightening, Passionate Minds is a ‘can’t put it down’ read—a mélange of colorful, fascinating characters, and ideas captured in an irresistible mix.”
“Riveting, moving, often hilarious, Passionate Minds is gritty social history and hard science and romance all rolled into one. Both fast-paced and profound, Passionate Minds is an intellectual roller-coaster ride that puts the excitement back into the Enlightenment.”
“BBC’s Book of the Week”