Voyaging in Strange Seas The Great Revolution in Science David Knight
- Price: £10.99
- Add to Basket
Share this page:
- Format:
- Paperback
- Publication date:
- 12 May 2015
- ISBN:
- 9780300212754
- Imprint:
- Yale University Press
- Dimensions:
- 344 pages: 225 x 144mm
- Illustrations:
- 55 b-w illus.
- Sales territories:
- World
Categories:
An ambitious, landmark history of the Scientific Revolution, from the age of Columbus to the age of Cook
In 1492 Columbus set out across the Atlantic; in 1776 American colonists declared their independence. Between these two events old authorities collapsed—Luther’s Reformation divided churches, and various discoveries revealed the ignorance of the ancient Greeks and Romans. A new, empirical worldview had arrived, focusing now on observation, experiment, and mathematical reasoning.
This engaging book takes us along on the great voyage of discovery that ushered in the modern age. David Knight, a distinguished historian of science, locates the Scientific Revolution in the great era of global oceanic voyages, which became both a spur to and a metaphor for scientific discovery. He introduces the well-known heroes of the story (Galileo, Newton, Linnaeus) as well as lesser-recognized officers of scientific societies, printers and booksellers who turned scientific discovery into public knowledge, and editors who invented the scientific journal. Knight looks at a striking array of topics, from better maps to more accurate clocks, from a boom in printing to medical advancements. He portrays science and religion as engaged with each other rather than in constant conflict; in fact, science was often perceived as a way to uncover and celebrate God’s mysteries and laws. Populated with interesting characters, enriched with fascinating anecdotes, and built upon an acute understanding of the era, this book tells a story as thrilling as any in human history.
In 1492 Columbus set out across the Atlantic; in 1776 American colonists declared their independence. Between these two events old authorities collapsed—Luther’s Reformation divided churches, and various discoveries revealed the ignorance of the ancient Greeks and Romans. A new, empirical worldview had arrived, focusing now on observation, experiment, and mathematical reasoning.
This engaging book takes us along on the great voyage of discovery that ushered in the modern age. David Knight, a distinguished historian of science, locates the Scientific Revolution in the great era of global oceanic voyages, which became both a spur to and a metaphor for scientific discovery. He introduces the well-known heroes of the story (Galileo, Newton, Linnaeus) as well as lesser-recognized officers of scientific societies, printers and booksellers who turned scientific discovery into public knowledge, and editors who invented the scientific journal. Knight looks at a striking array of topics, from better maps to more accurate clocks, from a boom in printing to medical advancements. He portrays science and religion as engaged with each other rather than in constant conflict; in fact, science was often perceived as a way to uncover and celebrate God’s mysteries and laws. Populated with interesting characters, enriched with fascinating anecdotes, and built upon an acute understanding of the era, this book tells a story as thrilling as any in human history.
David Knight is Emeritus Professor of History & Philosophy of Science, Durham University, and former editor of the British Journal for the History of Science. He lives in Durham, UK.
-
Ancient DNA
Elizabeth D Jones£30.00 -
Generations of Reason
Joan L. Richards£35.00 -
The Science of Abolition
Eric Herschthal£30.00 -
Minerva's French Sisters
Nina Rattner Gelbart£30.00 -
The Clock Mirage
Joseph Mazur£20.00 -
The Anthropocene and the Humanities
Carolyn Merchant£20.00 -
Celestial Mirror
Barry Perlus£35.00 -
Charles Darwin's Barnacle and David Bowie's Spider
Stephen B. Heard£20.00 -
Epidemics and Society
Frank M. Snowden£16.99 -
How to Find a Higgs Boson—and Other Big Mysteries in the World of the Very Small
Ivo van Vulpen£20.00 -
The Misinformation Age
Cailin O'Connor£11.99 -
Dispatches from Planet 3
Marcia Bartusiak£12.99 -
On the Backs of Tortoises
Elizabeth Hennessy£20.00 -
Falling Felines and Fundamental Physics
Gregory J. Gbur£18.99 -
Endless Novelties of Extraordinary Interest
Doug Macdougall£20.00 -
The Secret Poisoner
Linda Stratmann£12.99 -
Reaching for the Moon
Roger D Launius£20.00 -
Three Laws of Nature
R. Stephen Berry£16.99 -
Dante and the Early Astronomer
Tracy Daugherty£18.99 -
Einstein
Steven Gimbel£10.99