Steven Johson's book focuses on Joseph Priestly and his influence on science, faith and politics during and immediately after the American Revolution. A contemporary and friend of Benjamin Franklin, Priestly conducted many observational experiments discovering that plants produced a chemical (later determined to be oxygen) that was necessary to sustain life in animals.
The free swapping of ideas without specific need for monetary gain provided benefit to society. Also the coffee shop meetings provided two benefits. It was a meeting place to share ideas and the coffee provided more mental stimulation than the usual morning beer.
Priestly's friend, Lavoisier (the co-discoverer of oxygen) also had a hand in ensuring the victory for the American's in the Revolutionary War. Lavoisier's death in the French Revolution provides a cautionary tale of the dark side of revolutionary fever.
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