Physical Science in the Middle Ages

ISBN-13: 9780521292948 / Angielski / Miękka / 1978 / 144 str.

Edward Grant

Opis

This concise introduction to the history of physical science in the Middle Ages begins with a description of the feeble state of early medieval science and its revitalization during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, as evidenced by the explosion of knowledge represented by extensive translations of Greek and Arabic treatises. The content and concepts that came to govern science from the late twelfth century onwards were powerfully shaped and dominated by the science and philosophy of Aristotle. It is, therefore, by focussing attention on problems and controversies associated with Aristotelian science that the reader is introduced to the significant scientific developments and interpretations formulated in the later Middle Ages. The concluding chapter presents a new interpretation of the medieval failure to abandon the physics and cosmology of Aristotle and explains why, despite serious criticisms, they were not generally repudiated during this period. As detailed critical bibliography completes the work.

Spis treści

1. The state of science from 500 AD to 1000 AD; 2. The beginning of the beginning and the age of translation, 1000 AD to 1200 AD; 3. The medieval university and the impact of Aristotelian thought; 4. The physics of motion; 5. Earth, heavens and beyond; 5. Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.