Robert Hooke, Indefaticable Genius: Hooke and London

Abstract

The enigma (or enigmas) of Hooke, perhaps more than any other figure of the Scientific Revolution, raises the question “Who was Robert Hooke?”2) For if there is still much to learn about Hooke, we do know that he was not a person who aroused feelings of indifference. He was lionized by many as ingenious, honest, and generous, while others dismissed him with contempt or hatred as mean, irascible, and, worse, one who claimed the discoveries of others. Even today, despite an explosion of writing on Hooke, no clear view of him emerges, and the situation is not so different from three centuries ago, with partisans showing near reverence for him and detractors finding unworthy motives in almost everything he did. If he was held in high regard by important scientific figures like Christopher Wren, Robert Boyle, and Edmond Halley, revered by such men of the world as Samuel Pepys, major church figures like Seth Ward and John Tillotson, and by his chroniclers John Aubrey and Richard Waller, he also made important enemies. Among these, eventually, were Henry Oldenburg, long-time Secretary of the Society, and Viscount Lord Brouncker, its president for a decade and a half, as well as major continental scientific figures like Huygens and Leibniz. And, of course, Newton. In part, simple rivalry or jealousy was involved, but Hooke was at the very least “touchy” as Andrade, a Hooke admirer, called him, and there is no doubt that he was vigorously protective of his discoveries and reputation. Hooke was not always easy to get along with, and to some extent the same is true today.KeywordsRoyal SocietyDiary EntryAstronomical ObservationPlanetary MotionSociety MeetingThese keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.