Man and Nature in the Renaissance (Cambridge Studies in the History of Science)
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Book Overview
Man and Nature in the Renaissance offers an introduction to science and medicine during the earlier phases of the scientific revolution, from the mid-fifteenth century to the mid-seventeenth century. Renaissance science has frequently been approached in terms of the progress of the exact sciences of mathematics and astronomy, to the neglect of the broader intellectual context of the period. Conversely, those authors who have emphasized the latter frequently play down the importance of the technical scientific developments. In this book, Professor Debus amalgamates these approaches: The exact sciences of the period are discussed in detail, but reference is constantly made to religious and philosophical concepts that play little part in the science of our own time. Thus, the renewed interest in mystical texts and the subsequent impact of alchemy, astrology, and natural magic on the development of modern science and medicine are central to the account. Major themes that are followed throughout the book include the effects of humanism, the search for a new method of science, and the dialogue between proponents of the mystical-occult world view and the mathematical-observational approach to nature.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0521293286
ISBN13:9780521293280
Release Date:October 1978
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Length:172 Pages
Weight:0.50 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 6.1" x 9.0"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Pioneering scholarship in the mystical side of the history of science
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 17 years ago
Decades ago Allen Debus made many important, key contributions to the history of science by demonstrating the central (though marginalized) place of alchemy in the development of many disciplines. This is the most concise and easily accessible of the many texts of his you will read hungrily if you take an interest in the subject. Fair and insightful treatment of many theological, mystical and occult personalities make this book an important milestone in the new direction of historical studies dealing with the so-called "scientific revolution" and its murky "prehistory."
A chronicle of Science
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
I almost never read books about man and nature in the renaisance, and this was one of the best ones I have read, if not one of the very best. Read up!
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