The Birth of Modern Science

This history of the birth of modern science shatters the illusion that science is 'dry' and divorced from culture by exploring the powerful clashes between traditions and value systems that gave rise to it. The author shows how many of the characteristics that distinguish science today emerged in the midst of the wars and plagues of the seventeenth century and defines what was new about this form of knowledge. Series Editor's Preface by Jacques Le Goff.

Introduction.

1. Obstacles.

2. Secrets.

3. Engineers.

4. The Unseen World.

5. A New Universe.

6. Galileo.

7. Descartes.

8. Countless Other Worlds.

9. Mechanical Philosophy.

10. Chemical Philosophy.

11. Magnetic Philosophy.

12. The Heart and Generation.

13. Time and Nature.

14. Classification.

15. Instruments and Theories.

16. Academies.

17. Newton.

Chronology.

Bibliography.

Index.

"Rossi presents in intelligent and informative ways glimpses of the worldviews, concepts, and instruments that are at the root of modern science, and how these came to be ... The book is clearly the work of a scholar who knows his materials and understands what science is all about, making it an eminently good piece of work." Choice

"The greatest strength of this work comes out of Rossi's extensive and deep knowledge of the primary sources that he analyzes throughout. His discussions of key texts and of the positions of significant figures are detailed and useful. He provides clear summaries of an impressive number of texts... The nonspecialists targeted as the readers of this work will discover early modern science to be a richly complex and fascinating subject that can be studied with an abundance of primary sources." Pamela O. Long, in Isis

Paolo Rossi is Professor emeritus at the University of Florence and member of the "Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei". In 1985 he was awarded the Sarton Medal of the History of Science Society. His previous books in English include Francis Bacon from Magic to Science (1968), Philosophy Technology and the Arts in the Early Modern Era(1970), and The Dark Abyss of Time: The History of the Earth and the History of the Nations from Hooke to Vico (1984) This history of the birth of modern science is ideal for those engaging with the subject for the first time. It shatters the illusion that science is 'dry' and divorced from culture by exploring the powerful clashes between traditions and value systems that gave rise to it. The author shows how many of the characteristics that distinguish science today emerged in the midst of the wars and plagues of the seventeenth century and defines what was new about this form of knowledge.

Rossi's account covers topics such as the new astronomy, discoveries made with microscopes, the principle of inertia, experiments on voids, and the circulatory system. Alongside these, each chapter also addresses the great ideas that were central to this intellectual revolution: the new appraisal of technology, a new view of God as an engineer or clock maker, the introduction of the dimension of time into the study of nature, and so on. This passionate book will enable readers to engage with the complex relationship of science and philosophy.