Framing conflicting scientific views of John Robison on the Euler’s column buckling problem in the socio-political context of the late XVIII century

Abstract

The analytical approach of Leonhard Euler to the solution of an elastic column under compression is seen today as a landmark in buckling studies. However, this work was not well received in Great Britain during the late XVIII and XIX centuries. This paper considers the reaction of John Robison, Professor at the University of Edinburgh, published as an article in Encyclopedia Britannica, who attempted to disqualify Euler at scientific, methodological, and personal levels. The article was reproduced from edition three to eight, thus covering a period of some 90 years. The technical arguments made by Robison, together with the context in which he lived, are taken into account in order to explore the reasons behind the aggressive campaign of Robison against one of the most famous mathematicians of the XVIII century.