Project Gutenberg 2018-07-18 Public domain in the USA. 694 Babbage, Charles 1791 1871 15003228 Passages from the Life of a Philosopher Produced by The Online Distributed Proofreading Team and RichardW at http://www.pgdp.net "Passages from the Life of a Philosopher" by Charles Babbage is a semi-autobiographical account written in the mid-19th century. This work combines personal reflections with insights into the development of Babbage's inventions, particularly his pioneering work on calculating machines, including the Difference Engine. Through anecdotes and experiences across various social contexts, Babbage explores the challenges and triumphs he faced in the pursuit of knowledge and invention. The opening of the text introduces Babbage's thoughts on ancestry and the value of a name, reflecting on his own family history and philosophical musings about identity. He begins with a humorous consideration of heritage, asserting that despite the perceived advantages of a distinguished lineage, it also brings expectations that can weigh heavily. Following this, Babbage shares early childhood memories filled with curiosity and inquisitiveness, particularly highlighting his fascination with understanding the world around him. He recounts formative experiences that shaped his budding philosophical outlook, including an adventurous episode of being lost on London Bridge and a humorous incident involving a near-poisoning. Together, these glimpses into Babbage's early life set the stage for the themes of exploration and rational inquiry that permeate the book. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 57.9 (10th to 12th grade). Somewhat difficult to read. en Mathematicians -- Great Britain -- Biography Babbage, Charles, 1791-1871 QA Text Category: Biographies Category: Engineering & Technology 1021095 2025-07-23T04:55:10.771992 text/html 1026829 2020-11-09T10:47:18 text/html 742293 2025-07-23T04:55:25.831879 application/epub+zip 744073 2025-07-23T04:55:12.998934 application/epub+zip 529247 2025-07-23T04:55:11.912935 application/epub+zip 1045007 2025-07-23T04:55:35.648810 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 961661 2025-07-23T04:55:24.767856 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 705296 2022-09-26T03:50:11.810161 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 903443 2025-07-23T04:55:09.032929 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 903708 2020-11-09T10:46:58 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 18652 2025-07-23T04:55:35.891806 application/rdf+xml 22585 2025-07-23T04:55:12.044930 image/jpeg 3446 2025-07-23T04:55:11.978956 image/jpeg 332062 2020-11-09T10:48:42 application/octet-stream application/zip 607289 2020-11-09T10:48:42 application/octet-stream application/zip 616043 2025-07-23T04:55:10.862922 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia