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.