The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science

Burtt, E.A.

ISBN 10: 0486425517 / ISBN 13: 9780486425511

Published by Dover Publications, Mineola, NY, 2003

About this Item

"A fascinating analysis of the works of Copernicus, Kepler, Gallileo, Descartes, Hobbes, Gilbert, Boyle and Newton." Medieval thought made man the center of the universe. This book shows the growth of a more modern perspective, in which man is but one part of a complex universe. This book will help in understanding the great accomplishments of the scientists of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Unabridged republication of book published by Doubleday & Company in 1954. 352 pages, bibliography, index.

Seller Inventory # 11561

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Science
• Publisher: Dover Publications, Mineola, NY
• Publication Date: 2003
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0486425517
• ISBN 13: 9780486425511
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: Reprint
• Condition: New

About this title

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 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.