M Norton Wise
University of California, Los Angeles · History
Active 1965–2024
About
M. Norton Wise is a Distinguished Research Professor at UCLA, specializing in the history of physics from the late 18th century to the present. His work focuses on the relations between science and industrialization, exploring how scientific developments are intertwined with technological and economic transformations. Wise co-authored Energy and Empire: A Biographical study of Lord Kelvin, which examines the emergence of thermodynamics, electromagnetic theory, and vortex atom theory alongside the growth of steam engines, telegraph cables, and turbines. His series on 'Work and Waste: Political Economy and Natural Philosophy in 19th Century Britain' further investigates how steam engines served as mediators between industrial and scientific interests, linking concepts of 'work done' to economic labor value and physical energy. His scholarly contributions extend to editing volumes such as The Values of Precision, which analyze how the rise of precision measurement from the late 18th to 19th centuries reflected broader societal values related to state control and trade expansion. More recently, Wise has contributed to the development of the 'cultural history of science,' examining how major scientific advances emerge from local and contingent circumstances. He is working on a book about Bourgeois Berlin and Laboratory Science, focusing on the network of scientists, engineers, and artists involved in the Berlin Physical Society of 1845, and how cultural and institutional contexts influenced scientific and technological progress. His research emphasizes the interconnectedness of science, industry, and culture, illustrating how scientific ideas and practices are embedded within broader social and political frameworks.
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