Babbage, Charles

Babbage, Charles. The ninth Bridgewater treatise, 1841 Full text Subjects: theology Notes: First American edition Language: English Summary: Charles Babbage (1791-1871) was an English mathematician, philosopher and mechanical engineer who invented the concept of the programmable computer. From 1828 to 1839 he was Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge, a position whose holders have included Isaac Newton and Stephen Hawking. A proponent of natural religion, he published The Ninth Bridgewater Treatise in 1837 as his personal response to The Bridgewater Treatises, a series of books on theology and science that had recently appeared. He argues on the basis of reason and experience alone, drawing a parallel between his work on the calculating engine and God as the divine programmer of the universe. Eloquently written, and underpinned by mathematical arguments, The Ninth Bridgewater Treatise is a landmark work of natural theology.https://digitalcommons.rockefeller.edu/rare-books/1109/thumbnail.jp