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A Short History of Science to the Nineteenth Century
Driven by an unquenchable thirst, the human spirit seeks an explanation of the world. In this fascinating study, a noted historian of science traces the course of the ceaseless yearning for answers across two and a half millennia and chronicles, in simple form, the development of the idea of a rational and interconnected material world.
This account begins with the earliest recordings of true science among the Ionian Greeks and proceeds to detail the development of unitary systems of thought among Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, and others. Examinations of the science of imperial Rome ― including Roman mathematics, astronomy, physics, and calendarial science ― give rise to the science of the Middle Ages and the influence of Scholasticism, the rise of humanism, and the reawakened scientific spirit of the early Renaissance. These developments in turn led to the downfall of Aristotelian science in the seventeenth century, the Galilean revolution, Newtonian mathematical physics, and finally, the enthronement of determinism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Profusely illustrated with maps and diagrams, this comprehensive yet concise volume offers an absorbing, readable history of science up to the dawn of the modern era.
This account begins with the earliest recordings of true science among the Ionian Greeks and proceeds to detail the development of unitary systems of thought among Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, and others. Examinations of the science of imperial Rome ― including Roman mathematics, astronomy, physics, and calendarial science ― give rise to the science of the Middle Ages and the influence of Scholasticism, the rise of humanism, and the reawakened scientific spirit of the early Renaissance. These developments in turn led to the downfall of Aristotelian science in the seventeenth century, the Galilean revolution, Newtonian mathematical physics, and finally, the enthronement of determinism in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.
Profusely illustrated with maps and diagrams, this comprehensive yet concise volume offers an absorbing, readable history of science up to the dawn of the modern era.
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1997
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About the author
Charles Joseph Singer
64 books3 followersCharles Joseph Singer was a British historian of science, technology, and medicine.
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June 19, 2021
This is a must read for every science teacher. Singer masterfully explains every development until 1900 while giving credit to lesser known scientists whose work the famous rested on. I especially enjoyed the quotations, original definitions, and etymology of common terms (most of which I don't see in science textbooks.)
I was disabused of many false opinions and often surprised. For instance, Herbert Spencer, not Darwin, coined "Survival of the Fittest" or that Darwin had advanced Erasmus Darwin's (his own grandfather) thought.
I especially liked that Singer began at the beginning with the Egyptians and Greeks.
I was disabused of many false opinions and often surprised. For instance, Herbert Spencer, not Darwin, coined "Survival of the Fittest" or that Darwin had advanced Erasmus Darwin's (his own grandfather) thought.
I especially liked that Singer began at the beginning with the Egyptians and Greeks.
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March 5, 2011"This book is a sodden mess of Victorian platitudes and inconsistencies. It perpetuates a great over-rating of Greek culture and complete neglect of Eastern culture - even after the revelations of the archeology of Persepolis." Dr. William G. Houk
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews