Physical Science in the Middle Ages (Cambridge Studies in the History of Science)

Grant, Edward

ISBN 10: 0521292948 / ISBN 13: 9780521292948

Published by Cambridge University Press, 1978

About this Item

Seller Inventory # 0521292948-4-32750402

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Physical Science in the Middle Ages (Cambridge Studies in the History of Science)
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication Date: 1978
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0521292948
• ISBN 13: 9780521292948
• Binding: paperback
• Condition: Fair
• Weight: 6 ounces

About this title

Synopsis

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.

About the Author

Edward Grant is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is the author and editor of twelve books, including God and Reason in the Middle Ages (Cambridge, 2001), and The Foundations of Modern Science in the Middle Ages: Their Religious, Institutional and Intellectual Contexts (Cambridge, 1996). He is also the author of approximately ninety articles on the history of science and natural philosophy. He was Vice-President and President of the History of Science Society and was awarded the prestigious George Sarton Medal of that society.