Summary
Examining the scientific ideas developed by the early Greek philosophers, the developments of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, and the momentous discoveries of the Scientific Revolution in the 17th century, this volume looks at the early years of scientific thought and discovery. Covering figures as well known as Aristotle and Newton, The Birth of Science: Ancient Times to 1699 also looks beyond the specific contributions of key individuals and offers a more inclusive, world view of the early days of science.
Coverage includes:
- Legacies of ancient peoples, including non-European contributions and discoveries
- Contributions of Ptolemy, Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton to physical sciences, as well as contributions from natural historians such as Vesalius and Leeuwenhoek to biology
- Greek scientists, their discoveries, theories and inventions
- Tensions between science and society, science and religion, and science and "quackery" during the Scientific Revolution
- The earliest efforts to understand the human body.
Specifications
59 black-and-white photographs and 5 line illustrations. Index. Appendix. Bibliography. Glossary. Chronology. Sidebars.
About the Author(s)
Ray Spangenburg and Diane Kit Moser have been writing about science for more than 20 years. They are the authors of more than 50 books, including biographies of Niels Bohr and Wernher von Braun, Facts On File’s successful On the Shoulders of Giants set, and a popular series of books on astronomy and space exploration. Former journalists and editors, they have written for numerous magazines, including The Scientist, Science Digest, Space World, and Final Frontier.