Matthias Schemmel

The English Galileo

Thomas Harriot's Work on Motion as an Example of Preclassical Mechanics

• Gebundenes Buch

Produktbeschreibung

The English Galileo-the title of this book draws on the extraordinary prominence of Galileo Galilei in the historiography of the early modern Scienti?c Revolution. At the same time it questions the uniqueness of Galileo (not as a person, of course, but as an early modern phenomenon) by proclaiming another ?gure of his kind: Thomas H- riot. But putting Harriot on a pedestal next to Galileo is not a concern of this book, which is rather motivated by questions of the following kind: How did modern s- ence come about? What were the processes of knowledge and concept transformation that led from premodern to modern science, and, more speci?cally, from preclassical to classical mechanics? Which aspects of these developments rely on the peculiarities of particular historical actors and what aspects re?ect more general characteristics of the knowledge system at the time and its potentials for development? To answer such questions it is obviously necessary to complement the existing studies on Galileo's science with studies on the work of his lesser-known contemporaries; and it is imp- tant that these studies are carried out in similar detail to make the different prota- nists' work comparable. Without such comparison-this is the basic assumption of this book-our understanding of the shared knowledge of early modern thinking and the processes of knowledge transformation from which modern science emerged will remain incomplete and biased.

Produktdetails

• Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science 268
• Verlag: Springer / Springer Netherlands
• Artikelnr. des Verlages: 11889267, 978-1-4020-5498-3
• Seitenzahl: 804
• Erscheinungstermin: 18. September 2008
• Englisch
• Abmessung: 241mm x 160mm x 55mm
• Gewicht: 1350g
• ISBN-13: 9781402054983
• ISBN-10: 140205498X
• Artikelnr.: 24953378

Autorenporträt

Matthias Schemmel is Professor of Historical Epistemology at the University of Hamburg. He studied physics and astronomy (diploma in 1997) at the University of Hamburg and at Nanjing University, and history (doctoral degree in 2006) at the Humboldt University of Berlin. From 1997 to 2022 he worked at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science. He studies the historical development of structures of knowledge connected to the exact sciences in their cognitive, material, and social dimensions, both from a long-term and a global perspective. The aim is to achieve an understanding of the place of scientific knowledge within human societies, as regards its epistemic status as well as its impact on society. In working toward this goal, he has pursued empirical, i.e. source-based, research in different areas marked by important knowledge transformations. These areas are: the emergence of theoretical science in ancient societies; transformationswithin the medieval and early modern European knowledge systems; the transfer of knowledge between cultures, particularly China and the West; and the reorganization of the knowledge of physics, astronomy and their neighboring disciplines in the twentieth century. He taught courses at the Technical University of Berlin, the Humboldt University of Berlin, and the University of Bern, Switzerland. From 2008 to 2012 he was the director of an interdisciplinary research group on the long-term development of spatial concepts. Current research and teaching activities further pertain to the political dimension of science and the role of science in the Anthropocene. William G. Boltz is Professor of Classical Chinese, emeritus, at the University of Washington, Seattle. His teaching and research interests center on the philological analysis of ancient Chinese texts, transmitted works and discovered manuscripts alike. In this regard he has done considerable work on the early history of the Classical Chinese language and on the origin, developmental history and structure of the Chinese writing system, including comparative studies with writing systems of other ancient civilizations. He has been Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst Visiting Professor at the Asia-Afrika Institut of the University of Hamburg and twice in the Institut für Sinologie at the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster. He was Directeur d' Études Associé at the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (Paris) and has also been numerous times a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures (University of Hamburg) and at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science (Berlin).

Inhaltsangabe

Harriot's Work on Motion in Context.- Thomas Harriot: Practical Mathematician and Pioneer of Modern Science.- Harriot and the Challenge of Projectile Motion.- An Introduction to Harriot's Manuscripts on Motion.- Major Strands of Harriot's Work on Motion.- Mathematical Analysis of the Motion of Fall.- Free Fall Experiments and Their Evaluation: The "Weight" of Falling Bodies.- Free Fall Experiments and Their Evaluation: Motion in a Medium.- Graphical Construction of Projectile Trajectories.- Exploration of the Inclined-Plane Conception of Projectile Motion.- Conclusion.- Shared Knowledge and Alternative Solutions in Harriot's and Galileo's Work on Motion.- Facsimile and Transcription.- Notes and Conventions.- Thomas Harriot's Notes on Projectile Motion and the Fall of Bodies.

Rezensionen

From the reviews:

"Schemmel's expositions are extremely clear, and he takes pains to provide careful explanations of Harriot's more complex constructions ... . Historians of early modern natural philosophy or mechanics will find much to reward their efforts in The English Galileo. Schemmel's study should also be applauded for shedding valuable light on an unjustly marginalized figure." (Stephen Clucas, ISIS, Vol. 104 (3), September, 2013)

"This book is an ambitious attempt to catalogue and interpret the unpublished manuscripts on mechanics by English mathematician and philosopher, Thomas Harriot ... . Schemmel's contribution to this project focuses on Harriot's attempts to describe bodies in motion, particularly projectiles. ... Readers specialising in the history of mechanics and motion would undoubtedly learn a great deal about Harriot ... ." (Luciano Boschiero, Metascience, Vol. 21, 2012)

"The English Galileo offers the first comprehensive study of Harriot's work on motion. More specifically, the book is devoted to the reconstruction, detailed analysis, and interpretation of Harriot's work on projectile motion and the free fall of bodies. ... Matthias Schemmel has considerably enhanced our knowledge not only of Harriot but also of the development of mechanical knowledge. ... Schemmel's work is an outstanding contribution to a better understanding of the rise of a mechanical worldwide. Admirers of Galileo will also become admirers of Harriot." (William R. Shea, Mathematical Reviews, Issue 2012 g)

"The title of the book is absolutely justified. The author argues that both Galilei and Harriot worked within a framework that he calls preclassical mechanics. It is a mix of several elements. It consists of parts of old traditions like Aristotelian physics combined with the knowledge of practitioners like gunners. ... Schemmel did a wonderful job and ... this book about the crucial transitionfrom preclassical mechanics to classical mechanics represents the beginning of more work on Harriot." (Teun Koetsier, Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 1244, 2012)

"Matthias Schemmel in his superb edition of Harriot's work on free fall and projectile motion has independently used the same technique of facsimile and commentary. ... The second of his two volumes consists entirely of reproductions of the 180 folios he has selected from Harriot's work on motion under gravity, together with schematic analyses of their contents. ... a fine contribution not only to Harriot scholarship but to a deeper understanding of the development of early modern science and mathematics." (Jackie Stedall, BSHM Bulletin, Vol. 24, 2009)