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The Ordering of Time: From the Ancient Computus to the Modern Computer
This book is a concise history of the use and interpretation of time, written by one of the foremost medievalists in Europe today.
Arno Borst examines the various ways that time has been calculated by numbers and measured by instruments over several centuries, from the computus —an ancient method of determining times and dates—to the present-day computer. In a wide-ranging discussion, he analyzes the classical Greek concepts of divine, natural, and human time; the universal time of ancient Rome; the Easter cycle of the Middle Ages; the development of the mechanical clock in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; early modern chronology; and twentieth-century data processing.
Borst argues that although many centuries and countless different instruments—sundials, horologia, abaci, astrolabes, calendars, and calculating machines—separate the medieval computus from the modern computer, each generation has had to answer the same how can we make the best use of our available time to improve our lives? The computer, he suggests, is merely a new instrument employed for an ancient purpose.
Lively and accessible, The Ordering of Time will be welcomed by students and researchers in social and cultural history, the history of science and mathematics, as well as anyone interested in the history of time and numbers.
Arno Borst examines the various ways that time has been calculated by numbers and measured by instruments over several centuries, from the computus —an ancient method of determining times and dates—to the present-day computer. In a wide-ranging discussion, he analyzes the classical Greek concepts of divine, natural, and human time; the universal time of ancient Rome; the Easter cycle of the Middle Ages; the development of the mechanical clock in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries; early modern chronology; and twentieth-century data processing.
Borst argues that although many centuries and countless different instruments—sundials, horologia, abaci, astrolabes, calendars, and calculating machines—separate the medieval computus from the modern computer, each generation has had to answer the same how can we make the best use of our available time to improve our lives? The computer, he suggests, is merely a new instrument employed for an ancient purpose.
Lively and accessible, The Ordering of Time will be welcomed by students and researchers in social and cultural history, the history of science and mathematics, as well as anyone interested in the history of time and numbers.
- GenresNonfictionScienceHistory
178 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 25, 2016
Eine Übersicht der Zeitwahrnehmung, -berechnung und Messung vom 4. bis 5. Jahrhundert vor Christus bis in die Neuzeit.
Besonderes Augenmerk legt der Autor auf das frühe Mittelalter, die Zeit vom 5. bis 11. Jahrhundert nimmt besonders viel Raum ein.
Arno Borst erläutert besonders den Unterschied zwischen den Begriffen des calculus und computus, der zu dieser Zeit ein wesentlicher war. Während der calculus sich mit "profanen" Rechnungen beschäftigte, diente der computus himmlischen Zwecken und fand zuerst Verwendung zur Berechnung des Osterfestes, hernach auch zur Aufstellung von Martyrologien und den Versuchen, den Beginn der Welt zu ermitteln.
Die Übersicht bringt einige interessante Einsichten in die Denkweise der mittelalterlichen Rechner und die Einstellung der Leute zur Zeit.
Insgesamt eine anregende, aber keine weltbewegende Lektüre.
Besonderes Augenmerk legt der Autor auf das frühe Mittelalter, die Zeit vom 5. bis 11. Jahrhundert nimmt besonders viel Raum ein.
Arno Borst erläutert besonders den Unterschied zwischen den Begriffen des calculus und computus, der zu dieser Zeit ein wesentlicher war. Während der calculus sich mit "profanen" Rechnungen beschäftigte, diente der computus himmlischen Zwecken und fand zuerst Verwendung zur Berechnung des Osterfestes, hernach auch zur Aufstellung von Martyrologien und den Versuchen, den Beginn der Welt zu ermitteln.
Die Übersicht bringt einige interessante Einsichten in die Denkweise der mittelalterlichen Rechner und die Einstellung der Leute zur Zeit.
Insgesamt eine anregende, aber keine weltbewegende Lektüre.
June 19, 2018
Tarihlendirme ve sayma üzerine merak gideren son derece güzel ve dozunda bir kitap. Miladi takvimi ne zaman kullanmaya başladığımızı 1645 yılındayız, 1870 yılındayız gibi miladi takvim kullanımının dünyada ne zaman ve nerede başladığını kendi kendime sorup ufak araştırmalar yaptığımı hatırlıyorum ama doyurucu bir cevap bulamamıştım. Computus'ta bu sorunun harikulade bir anlatımı ile birlikte tarihini bulabiliyoruz.
Ayrıca kitabın kütüphanemde en sevdiğim kitaplar rafında durduğunu söylemeliyim. mutlaka okunması gereken bir kitap.
Ayrıca kitabın kütüphanemde en sevdiğim kitaplar rafında durduğunu söylemeliyim. mutlaka okunması gereken bir kitap.
September 17, 2013
A really interesting book but a little too beyond my background. I wished it was on Kindle so I could've used the dictionary to look up lots of terms, but also it's hard to keep track of all the names and ideas when it's your first time encountering so many of them.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews