Edge of objectivity : an essay in the history of scientific ideas / by Charles Coulston Gillispie ; with a new introduction by Theodore M. Porter.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Gillispie, Charles Coulston.

Contributor:

Porter, Theodore M., 1953-

Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science.

Science--Philosophy.

Science--History.

History.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

xxxiv, 562 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

New paperback edition.

Place of Publication:

Princeton, New Jersey : Princeton University Press, 2016.

Summary:

Oringinally published in 1960, the Edge of Objectivity helped to establish the history of science as a full-fledged academic discipline. The edition of Charles Coulston Gillispie's landmark book introduces a new generation of readers to his provocative and enlightening account of the advancement of scientific thought over the course of four centuries. From Galileo's analysis of motion to theories of evolution and relativity, Gillispie introduces key concepts, individuals, and themes. Offering a breathtaking tour of scientific ideas, he views science as the progressive development of an objective, detached, and mathematical way of seeing our world. Featuring a new introduction by Theodore Porter, who places the work in its intellectual context and the development of the field, this edition of the Edge of Objectivity is a monumental work by one of the founding intellects of the history of science. Book jacket.

Contents:

I Full Circle 3

II Art, Life, and Experiment 54

III The New Philosophy 83

IV Newton with His Prism and Silent Face 117

V Science and the Enlightenment 151

VI The Rationalization of Matter 202

VII The History of Nature 260

VIII Biology Comes of Age 303

IX Early Energetics 352

X Field Physics 406

XI Epilogue 493.

Notes:

Reprint. Originally published: 1960.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Edward Potts Cheyney Memorial Fund.

ISBN:

0691172528

9780691172521

OCLC:

959958002

Publisher Number:

99968791867