The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries witnessed a fundamental transformation in how nature was understood and studied, a transformation which came to be known as the Scientific Revolution. This book introduces students to the best recent writings on this important era in the history of science. It presents innovative work by scholars who have been at the forefront of reinterpreting the Scientific Revolution, as well as seminal work by an older generation of scholars. The volume opens with a substantial editorial essay outlining the most important developments in approaches to the Scientific Revolution over the past two decades. The readings themselves embrace a wide range of subjects, including astronomy, natural history, alchemy, medicine, and technology. Each one is preceded by a short introduction, setting the material in context. The book concludes with an essay which rejects the notion of the Scientific Revolution entirely.
"A well-selected and thoughtful collection of some of themost important recent articles on the Scientific Revolution. Thisvolume will provide a welcome and much-needed tool for introducingreaders to this important period." Alix Cooper,SUNY-Stony Brook
"Rumors that the Scientific Revolution is'dead' belie its staggering resilience. Hellyer'svolume insists that something significant happened in early modernEurope, something - by whatever name - that speaks toglobal change as well as 'Modern' and'Western.' Concise and accessible, the volume drawstogether excellent secondary sources framed by usefulintroductions." Robert A. Hatch, University ofFlorida
Hellyer's choice of material is well conceived, coherent andadmirably presented: a reader can ask for no more."International Journal of the Classical Tradition
"Rumors that the Scientific Revolution is'dead' belie its staggering resilience. Hellyer'svolume insists that something significant happened in early modernEurope, something - by whatever name - that speaks toglobal change as well as 'Modern' and'Western.' Concise and accessible, the volume drawstogether excellent secondary sources framed by usefulintroductions." Robert A. Hatch, University ofFlorida
Hellyer's choice of material is well conceived, coherent andadmirably presented: a reader can ask for no more."International Journal of the Classical Tradition