| Contents |
Introduction: Why measurement matters -- The kindling of civilisation -- Measure and the social order -- The proper subject of measurement -- The quantifying spirit -- The metric revolution -- A grid laid across the world -- Measuring life and death -- The battle of the standards -- For all times, for all people -- The managed life -- Epilogue. |
| Abstract |
"A vibrant account of how measurement has invisibly shaped our world, from ancient civilizations to the modern day. From the cubit to the kilogram, the humble inch to the speed of light, measurement is a powerful tool that humans invented to make sense of the world. In this revelatory work of science and social history, James Vincent dives into its hidden world, taking readers from ancient Egypt, where measuring the annual depth of the Nile was an essential task, to the intellectual origins of the metric system in the French Revolution, and from the surprisingly animated rivalry between metric and imperial, to our current age of the "quantified self." At every turn, Vincent is keenly attuned to the political consequences of measurement, exploring how it has also been used as a tool for oppression and control. Beyond Measure reveals how measurement is not only deeply entwined with our experience of the world, but also how its history encompasses and shapes the human quest for knowledge"-- Provided by publisher. |
| General note | "First published in the UK by Faber & Faber Ltd."--Title page verso. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 353-391) and index. |
| Issued in other form | Electronic version: Vincent, James (Journalist). Beyond measure. First American edition. New York, NY : W.W. Norton & Company, 2023 9781324035862 |
| Genre/form | History. |
| LCCN | 2022027408 |
| ISBN | 9781324035855 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | 1324035854 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | (ebook) |
| Standard identifier# |
40031402549 |
