Illuminating Knowledge: An Interview with Laura Snyder

Being Human

Laura Snyder is a professor of philosophy at St. John’s University. Her work focuses on the history and philosophy of science, and frequently seeks to bring new, broader perspectives to debates in that field. Her first book, Reforming Philosophy, focuses on John Stuart Mill and William Whewell’s philosophies of science, but argues that this philosophy can only properly be understood in the context of Mill and Whewell’s entire body of work. Her second book, the Philosophical Breakfast Club, focuses on four British scientists in the 19th century and the revolution they brought to science at the time. The book was praised for its combination of scholarly rigor and public accessibility, and led to Professor Snyder giving a talk at the TED Global conference in 2012.Professor Snyder’s newest book is titled The Eye of the Beholder: Johannes Vermeer, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, and the Reinvention of Seeing. The book tells the story of Vermeer and Leeuwenhoek at a remarkable time of scientific and artistic innovation in the Dutch Republic. It also continues Professor Snyder’s commitment to bridging popular and academic audiences, it was reviewed widely in publications like the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and several outlets abroad.