This paper addresses the role of religion in the construction of scientific biographies. As a devout Quaker, Silvanus Phillips Thompson believed that biographical writing was a serious endeavour and considered that it had a moral purpose. His short biographies of Philipp Reis and William Sturgeon sought to do justice to the achievements of these two little-known inventors. Likewise, in his longer biographies of Michael Faraday and Lord Kelvin (William Thomson), he emphasised his subjects' strong moral qualities and dedication to seeking after truth. They were portrayed as committed Christians—honest, empathetic, and altruistic. In opposing the positivist view of science, Thompson stressed the role of intuition—the “Inner Light”—in the scientific discoveries made by Faraday and Kelvin.

中文翻译：

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汤普森，传记作家

本文论述了宗教在科学传记构建中的作用。作为一名虔诚的贵格会教徒，西尔瓦努斯·菲利普斯·汤普森相信传记写作是一项严肃的工作，并认为它具有道德目的。他关于菲利普·雷斯和威廉·斯特金的简短传记试图公正地评价这两位鲜为人知的发明家的成就。同样，在迈克尔法拉第和开尔文勋爵（威廉汤姆森）的较长传记中，他强调了他的臣民强烈的道德品质和追求真理的奉献精神。他们被描绘成忠诚的基督徒——诚实、善解人意、无私。在反对实证主义的科学观点时，汤普森强调了直觉——“内在之光”——在法拉第和开尔文的科学发现中的作用。