History 321

Science in Early Modern Europe

Spring 2001

Class times: TTh, 11:50-12:05
Class Room, HUMA 328

A. Van Helden
Office: HUMA 332
e-mail: helden@rice.edu
tel: 348-2556
Office hrs.: TTh 4:00-5:00 p.m., or by appointment

Nature and scope of the course

Between 1450 and 1700, Greek science, assimilated during the High Middle Ages, was radically transformed, not only in content but also in method and institutional setting. The thought of Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Newton, and others will be examined in the context of the more general cultural history of the period.

Requirements

Part of each class period will be devoted to discussion, and students should be prepared to participate. The requirements are two 10-page papers, due 22 February and 17 April, and two 90-minute exams, scheduled for 1 March and 26 April. (Please note: 11:50-12:20). Each paper and exam will account for 25% of the final grade. Students must do all the work in the course in order to receive a passing grade.

Books for sale in the Campus Store and on reserve

A. G. Debus, Man and Nature in the Renaissance

Galileo, Sidereus Nuncius or the Sidereal Messenger

R. Descartes, Discourse on Method and the Meditations on First Philosophy

R. S. Westfall, The Construction of Modern Science: Mechanisms and Mechanics

H. S. Thayer, ed., Newton's Philosophy of Nature: Selections from his Writings

History 321 coursepack:

1. W. A. Wallace, "The Philosophical Setting of Medieval Science," in , ed. D. C. Lindberg (University of Chicago Press, 1978), pp. 91-119.

2. P. Kibre and N. G. Siraisi, "The Institutional Setting: The Universities," in Science in the Middle Ages, pp. 120-44.

3. M. Luther, To the Christian Nobility of the German Nation, tr. Charles M. Jacobs, revised James Atkinson, in Martin Luther, Three Treatises (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1970), pp. 123-56.

4. N. M. Swerdlow, "Science and Humanism in the Renaissance: Regiomontanus's Oration on the Dignity and Utility of the Mathematical Sciences," in World Changes: Thomas Kuhn and the Nature of Science, ed. Paul Horwich (Cambridge: MIT Press, 1993), pp. 133-68

5. G. Harcourt, "Andreas Vesalius and the Anatomy of Antique Sculpture, Representations 17 (1987):28-61.

6. R. S. Westman, "Proof, Poetics, and Patronage: Copernicus's Preface to De Revolutionibus," in Reappraisals of the Scientific Revolution, ed., D. C. Lindberg and R. S. Westman (Cambridge University Press, 1990), pp. 167-206.

7. M. Biagioli, "Galileo's System of Patronage," History of Science 28 (1990):1-61.

8. M. A. Finocchiaro, The Galileo Affair (University of California Press, 1989), pp.134-53, 214-18, 256-93.

9. O. Gingerich, "Kepler," extract from "Ptolemy, Copernicus, and Kepler," in The Great Ideas Today (Chicago: Encyclopaedia Britannica Co, 1983), pp. 170-80.

10. S. Bochner, The Role of Mathematics in the Rise of Science (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1966), pp. 143-78.

11. S. Edgerton, The Heritage of Giotto's Geometry: Art and Science on the Eve of the Scientific Revolution (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1991), pp. 223-53.

Some useful Web sites

History of Science Society: History of Science Society home page
History of Science, Technology and Medicine: Overview of history of science materials available on the Web.
(Tim Sherratt, Univ. of Melbourne)
The Brief History of Astronomy: A chronology of events in astronomy, 4000 BCE - present
(Marek Dudka)
MacTutor History of Mathematics archive: Biographical information on 1100+ "mathematicians"
(John O'Connor and Edmund F Robertson, University of St Andrews)
The Galileo Project: A resource on the life and work of Galileo
A Van Helden et al., Rice University
Newtoniana: An information source on the life and work of Isaac Newton
(Andrew McNab, Queen Mary and Westfield College, London)
Giordano Bruno: The Forgotten Philosopher: John J. Kessler, University of North Carolina
Web Resources for the History of Mathematics: David E. Joyce, Clark University
The Universal Laboratory for the History of Science (Mission Statement): Adrian Johns and others, Cal. Tech.
Scientific Revolution Resources: Robert Hatch, University of FLorida

If you find other sites that may be useful in this course, please let me know.

Schedule of Lectures and Assignments

CP = Coursepack

01/16 Introduction
01/18 The ancient authorities: CP, 1
01/23 The medieval institutional setting: CP, 2
01/25 The Renaissance: DEBUS, 1-53
01/30 Printing and Authority: CP, 3
02/01 Humanism and science: CP, 4
02/06 Vesalius and Harvey: DEBUS, 54-73, CP, 5
02/08 Copernicus: DEBUS 74-100. CP, 6
02/13 Tycho Brahe: CP, 7
02/15 Galileo and the telescope: GALILEO
02/20 The trial of Galileo: CP, 8
02/22 Kepler: CP, 9. First paper due
02/27 Review
03/01 Exam 1 (10:50-12:20)
03/06-08 Mid-term recess
03/13 From place to space: CP, 10
03/15 Perspective: art and science: CP, 11
03/20 Descartes and mathematical science: DESCARTES, Meditations
03/22 Descartes and mechanism: DESCARTES, Discourse
03/27 Bacon, experiment, and instruments: WESTFALL 1-64; THAYER 3-8
03/29 From court to academy: WESTFALL, 82-119
04/03 Scientific practice and rhetoric: TBA
04/05 Light from Aristotle to Newton: THAYER 68-105
04/10 Motion from Aristotle to Descartes: WESTFALL, 120-59
04/12 SPRING RECESS
04/17 Newton on motion. Second paper due: THAYER 9-29
04/19 Newtonian science: THAYER 41-67, 135-79
04/24 Review
04/26 Exam II (10:50-12:20)