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A History of Natural Philosophy: From the Ancient World to the Nineteenth Century 1st Edition
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- ISBN-100521689570
- ISBN-13978-0521689571
- Edition1st
- PublisherCambridge University Press
- Publication dateMarch 29, 2007
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions6 x 0.85 x 9 inches
- Print length376 pages
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- John North, Professor Emeritus of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands
"A product of immense learning, A History of Natural Philosophy, is a rich harvest of knowledge about the development of this important discipline. Arguing that the union of mathematics and natural philosophy made the Scientific Revolution possible, Grant clearly links radical early modern developments, with medieval, Aristotelian natural philosophy. He goes on to show how the modern sciences eventually broke away from the 'Great Mother' of natural philosophy. This book is essential reading for understanding the development of the disciplines of modern science and philosophy."
- Margaret J. Osler, Professor of History, University of Calgary
2007 Outstanding Academic Title -- Choice Magazine
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- Publisher : Cambridge University Press; 1st edition (March 29, 2007)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 376 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0521689570
- ISBN-13 : 978-0521689571
- Item Weight : 1.13 pounds
- Dimensions : 6 x 0.85 x 9 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #459,442 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #168 in History of Engineering & Technology
- #360 in History of Technology
- #1,487 in History & Philosophy of Science (Books)
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The book is organized chronologically, thematically, and biographically where important figures in the history of science are noted for their contributions and advancements. It also has many primary source material and extensive quotes throughout to get a direct context of the themes in the history of science. The Greeks, the Arabs, the Western and Eastern Europeans get their history and interactions with science told. As a result, Grant debunks many negative and oversimplifying stereotypes that people have on ancient and medieval people and science. For example, the supposed "conflict" people think existed between theology and science throughout the history of science is shown to be pretty much bogus since from early on Christians adopted a "handmaiden" mentality to secular studies in logic and studies in nature. Concerning the myth of the "Dark Ages", one thing I learned well was that during this supposed period, Syrian Christians from Eastern Europe such as Nestorians and Monophysites were the ones that translated much of the important Greek science texts from Greek to Syriac and the later on they translated many of the works into Arabic and other languages under Islamic rule (62-67). At this time the Latin West was split to many small nations from the Fall of the Roman Empire with some preserved writings of science such as the encyclopedias of Isidore of Seville. Apparently the Romans before the Christians did not translate many scientific works from the Greeks. Still, the work of the Syrian Christians pretty much preserved much of the Greek learning in Arabic. Later on it was returned to the Latin West and thus much previous scientific knowledge was recovered and built upon as usual.
Islam gets a good amount of attention along with notable figures and its development of higher education in the Madrasas. The University system that emerged in Europe gets some attention also. One thing that is noted is that theologians made many contributions to natural philosophy and that they used imagination to make hypothetical situations which added more of an element of hypothesis and simulation to science. Aristotle gets quite a bit of attention especially since he is one of the main consolidators of the concept of natural philosophy. His "scientific method", which is noted in his work "Posterior Analytics", which is part of his "Organon", played a major role as it did emphasize inductive reasoning and demonstrations. But it required using those particulars from experience to make universal principles and looking for causes of phenomena. Later on, Francis Bacon re-oriented studies in nature with his method of induction, or as we know it the modern "scientific method" from his The New Organon and Related Writings , and in it he emphasized that studies in nature should be harnessed specifically to benefit humanity rather than just being about looking for abstract explanations and theories on natural phenomenon. One interesting fact was that the mechanical universe (like a clock) mentality of Newton was visible in the medieval period such as by Nicole Oresme (284). Another interesting thing was John Buridan's view of possibility of other worlds existing if God so willed it. Many other interesting facts can be found in the book... but I leave it for people to discover them.
Overall, the history of science shows a complex relationship of methodologies and approaches to questions on natural phenomenon.
For an anthology of writings in Greek science : A Source Book in Greek Science (Source Books in the History of the Sciences)
For a more in depth background on medieval science please see an anthology of primary sources: A Sourcebook in Medieval Science (Source Books in the History of the Sciences)
For further reading on Islamic science: 1001 Inventions: The Enduring Legacy of Muslim Civilization
Even though china is not mentioned in the book its good to get their history of science also for perspective : The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and Invention
For cross-cultural comparisons on different cultures and why the sciences developed more in some cultures more than others one can read: The Rise of Early Modern Science: Islam, China and the West for the medieval period and Intellectual Curiosity and the Scientific Revolution: A Global Perspective for the scientific revolution. The Dialogue of Civilizations in the Birth of Modern Science pins the transcultural ideas that were used by Europeans that brought about modern science.
Accessible writing style and headed sections make for a relatively simple read, though those of us unfamiliar with Aristotle may be a little confused about the complex unfolding of his core writings. However, the author did seem to be his best to unfold these for the uninitiated.
Worth a read and certainly a book to consult if one is seeking a good but relatively easy to read introduction to the subject.