Voyaging in Strange Seas: The Great Revolution in Science PDF
Preview Voyaging in Strange Seas: The Great Revolution in Science
David Knight’s landmark history takes us on the great voyage of discovery that ushered in the modern age. Ideas, experiments, characters, conflicts and achievements – all come to life in this account of the rise of science and how it changed the world. ‘Knight ably describes both the scientific advances of astronomy and mathematics, as well as the political and personal intrigues of the time. The development of alchemy and its successor discipline of chemistry are detailed with very interesting information, including the roots of the “scientific method” and the rise of the concept of experimentation … An excellent source of information about the history of science … and how science has influenced the social and political lives of people and countries.’ —New York Journal of Books ‘David Knight’s fresh look at the Scientific Revolution tells the story of modern science’s birth – and adolescence – from angles that usually go unexplored … It’s a story worth telling (and reading) once again.’ —Science News ‘The story of the West’s spectacular development, told by a knowledgeable, patient teacher.’ —Kirkus Reviews ‘By putting the development of empirical science in a social context, Knight reminds readers that nothing happens in a vacuum, nor are humans at the end of discovery.’ —Publishers Weekly David Knight is Emeritus Professor of History and Philosophy of Science, Durham University. Cover images: Brass armillary astrolabe, Marshall compound microscope, ‘Elegant and engaging … the ideal book for those who seek an Boyle’s regular polyhedra and a Galilean telescope. © Science Museum/ Science & Society Picture Library. Background: map of Utopia from Thomas overview of the “long Scientific Revolution”.’ More’s Utopia. © Durham University Library. ISBN 978-0-300-21275-4 —Frank James, The Royal Institution YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW HAVEN AND LONDON 9 780300 212754 yalebooks.com www.yalebooks.co.uk VOYAGING IN STRANGE SEAS 4307.indd 1 22/01/14 11:29 AM 4307.indd 2 22/01/14 11:29 AM VOYAGING IN STRANGE SEAS aa the great revolution in science David Knight YALE UNIVERSITY PRESS NEW HAVEN AND LONDON 4307.indd 3 22/01/14 11:29 AM Copyright © 2014 David Knight All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by Sections 107 and 108 of the U.S. Copyright Law and except by reviewers for the public press) without written permission from the publishers. For information about this and other Yale University Press publications, please contact: U.S. Office: [email protected] www.yalebooks.com Europe Office: [email protected] www.yalebooks.co.uk Set in Adobe Caslon Pro by IDSUK (DataConnection) Ltd Printed in Great Britain by TJ International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Knight, David M., author. Voyaging in strange seas: the great revolution in science/David Knight. pages cm ISBN 978-0-300-17379-6 (cl: alk. paper) 1. Science–History. 2. Discoveries in science–History. 3. Scientific expeditions– History. I. Title. Q125.K578 2014 509–dc23 2013041986 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 4307.indd 4 22/01/14 11:29 AM For Sarah, with thanks for fifty happy years; and for Letsopa, Penelope, Laura and Hannah, beginning their lives 4307.indd 5 22/01/14 11:29 AM 4307.indd 6 22/01/14 11:29 AM I could behold The antechapel where the statue stood Of Newton with his prism and silent face, The marble index of a mind for ever Voyaging through strange seas of Thought, alone. William Wordsworth, The Prelude (1850) The end of our foundation is the knowledge of causes, and secret motions of things; and the enlarging of the bounds of human empire, to the effecting of all things possible. Francis Bacon, New Atlantis (1627) 4307.indd 7 22/01/14 11:29 AM 4307.indd 8 22/01/14 11:29 AM CONTENTS aa 1 Voyaging in Strange Seas 1 2 The Deep Roots of Modern Science 10 3 Refining Common Sense: The New Philosophy 35 4 Looking Up to Heaven: Mathematics and Telescopes 60 5 Interrogating Nature: The Use of Experiment 84 6 Through Nature to Nature’s God: The Two Books 106 7 Sharing the Vision: Scientific Societies 136 8 Life Is Short, Science Long: The Healing Art 160 9 Making Things Better: Practical Science 184 10 The Ladder of Creation: The Rise of Natural History 207 11 A Global Perspective: Exploring and Measuring 231 12 Enlightenment: Leisure, Electricity and Chemistry 253 13 Revolution, Evolution: How, Then, Did Science Grow? 281 Notes 292 Further Reading 299 Illustration Acknowledgements 305 Acknowledgements 306 Index 307 4307.indd 9 22/01/14 11:29 AM
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