The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science - Softcover

Burtt, E A

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0486425517 ISBN 13: 9780486425511

Publisher: Dover Publications, 2003

Synopsis

To the medieval thinker, man was the center of creation and all of nature existed purely for his benefit. The shift from the philosophy of the Middle Ages to the modern view of humanity&;s less central place in the universe ranks as the greatest revolution in the history of Western thought, and this classic in the philosophy of science describes and analyzes how that profound change occurred.

A fascinating analysis of the works of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Hobbes, Gilbert, Boyle, and Newton, it not only establishes the reasons for the triumph of the modern perspective, but also accounts for certain limitations in this view that continue to characterize contemporary scientific thought. A criticism as well as a history of the change that made possible the rise of modern science, this volume is also a guide to understanding the methods and accomplishments of the great philosopher-scientists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.

About this title

About the Author

Edwin Arthur Burtt (1892 – 1989) was an American philosopher who wrote extensively on the philosophy of religion. He was the Susan Linn Sage Professor of Philosophy at Cornell University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Publication date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0486425517
• ISBN 13: 9780486425511
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 352