Comets, Popular Culture, and the Birth of Modern Cosmology

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Publisher : Princeton University Press
ISBN 13 : 0691227675
Total Pages : 381 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (912 download)

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Book Synopsis Comets, Popular Culture, and the Birth of Modern Cosmology by : Sara Schechner

Download or read book Comets, Popular Culture, and the Birth of Modern Cosmology written by Sara Schechner and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-03-09 with total page 381 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a lively investigation into the boundaries between popular culture and early-modern science, Sara Schechner presents a case study that challenges the view that rationalism was at odds with popular belief in the development of scientific theories. Schechner Genuth delineates the evolution of people's understanding of comets, showing that until the seventeenth century, all members of society dreaded comets as heaven-sent portents of plague, flood, civil disorder, and other calamities. Although these beliefs became spurned as "vulgar superstitions" by the elite before the end of the century, she shows that they were nonetheless absorbed into the science of Newton and Halley, contributing to their theories in subtle yet profound ways. Schechner weaves together many strands of thought: views of comets as signs and causes of social and physical changes; vigilance toward monsters and prodigies as indicators of God's will; Christian eschatology; scientific interpretations of Scripture; astrological prognostication and political propaganda; and celestial mechanics and astrophysics. This exploration of the interplay between high and low beliefs about nature leads to the conclusion that popular and long-held views of comets as divine signs were not overturned by astronomical discoveries. Indeed, they became part of the foundation on which modern cosmology was built.

Milton in the New Scientific Age

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429595506
Total Pages : 220 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (295 download)

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Book Synopsis Milton in the New Scientific Age by : Catherine G. Martin

Download or read book Milton in the New Scientific Age written by Catherine G. Martin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-04-23 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Milton and the New Scientific Age represents significant advantages over all previous volumes on the subject of Milton and science, as it includes contributions from top scholars and prominent beginners in a broad number of fields. Most of these fields have long dominated work in both Milton and seventeenth-century studies, but they have previously not included the relatively new and revolutionary topic of early modern chemistry, physiology, and medicine. Previously this subject was confined to the history of science, with little if any attention to its literary development, even though it prominently appears in John Milton’s Paradise Lost, which also includes early "science fiction" speculations on aliens ignored by most readers. Both of these oversights are corrected in this essay collection, while more traditional areas of research have been updated. They include Milton’s relationship both to Bacon and the later or Royal Society Baconians, his views on astronomy, and his "vitalist" views on biology and cosmology. In treating these topics, our contributors are not mired in speculations about whether or not Milton was on the cutting edge of early science or science fiction, for, as nearly all of them show, the idea of a "cutting edge" is deeply anachronistic at a time when most scientists and scientific enthusiasts held both fully modern and backward-looking beliefs. By treating these combinations contextually, Milton’s literary contributions to the "new science" are significantly clarified along with his many contemporary sources, all of which merit study in their own right.

The Early Enlightenment in the Dutch Republic, 1650-1750

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Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004247653
Total Pages : 275 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (42 download)

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Book Synopsis The Early Enlightenment in the Dutch Republic, 1650-1750 by : Wiep van Bunge

Download or read book The Early Enlightenment in the Dutch Republic, 1650-1750 written by Wiep van Bunge and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2003-09-01 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book contains twelve major essays written by prominent historians from the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States on the early Enlightenment in the Dutch Republic, and more in particular on the main schools of thought that made up its philosophical profile.

The Cambridge History of Science: Volume 3, Early Modern Science

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 0521572444
Total Pages : 833 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (215 download)

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Book Synopsis The Cambridge History of Science: Volume 3, Early Modern Science by : David C. Lindberg

Download or read book The Cambridge History of Science: Volume 3, Early Modern Science written by David C. Lindberg and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2003 with total page 833 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An account of European knowledge of the natural world, c.1500-1700.

Mathematical Works Printed in the Americas, 1554–1700

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Publisher : JHU Press
ISBN 13 : 142140205X
Total Pages : 389 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (214 download)

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Book Synopsis Mathematical Works Printed in the Americas, 1554–1700 by : Bruce Stanley Burdick

Download or read book Mathematical Works Printed in the Americas, 1554–1700 written by Bruce Stanley Burdick and published by JHU Press. This book was released on 2009-03-16 with total page 389 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This magisterial annotated bibliography of the earliest mathematical works to be printed in the New World challenges long-held assumptions about the earliest examples of American mathematical endeavor. Bruce Stanley Burdick brings together mathematical writings from Mexico, Lima, and the English colonies of Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, and New York. The book provides important information such as author, printer, place of publication, and location of original copies of each of the works discussed. Burdick’s exhaustive research has unearthed numerous examples of books not previously cataloged as mathematical. While it was thought that no mathematical writings in English were printed in the Americas before 1703, Burdick gives scholars one of their first chances to discover Jacob Taylor’s 1697 Tenebrae, a treatise on solving triangles and other figures using basic trigonometry. He also goes beyond the English language to discuss works in Spanish and Latin, such as Alonso de la Vera Cruz's 1554 logic text, the Recognitio Summularum; a book on astrology by Enrico Martínez; books on the nature of comets by Carlos de Sigüenza y Góngora and Eusebio Francisco Kino; and a 1676 almanac by Feliciana Ruiz, the first woman to produce a mathematical work in the Americas. Those fascinated by mathematics, its history, and its culture will note with interest that many of these works, including all of the earliest ones, are from Mexico, not from what is now the United States. As such, the book will challenge us to rethink the history of mathematics on the American continents.

The World Upside Down in 16th-Century French Literature and Visual Culture

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Publisher : BRILL
ISBN 13 : 9004381821
Total Pages : 298 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (43 download)

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Book Synopsis The World Upside Down in 16th-Century French Literature and Visual Culture by : Vincent Robert-Nicoud

Download or read book The World Upside Down in 16th-Century French Literature and Visual Culture written by Vincent Robert-Nicoud and published by BRILL. This book was released on 2018-09-11 with total page 298 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In The World Upside Down Vincent Robert-Nicoud offers an account of the topos of the world upside-down in sixteenth-century French literature and visual culture with reference to the social, political, and religious turmoil of the period.

Introduction to Comets

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521004664
Total Pages : 478 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (46 download)

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Book Synopsis Introduction to Comets by : John C. Brandt

Download or read book Introduction to Comets written by John C. Brandt and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2004-03-11 with total page 478 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Publisher Description

Astrology through History

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Publisher : Bloomsbury Publishing USA
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 412 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (16 download)

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Book Synopsis Astrology through History by : William E. Burns

Download or read book Astrology through History written by William E. Burns and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2018-07-20 with total page 412 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alphabetically arranged entries cover the history of astrology from ancient Mesopotamia to the 21st century. In addition to surveying the Western tradition, the book explores Islamic, Indian, East Asian, and Mesoamerican astrology. The field of astrology is growing rapidly, as historians recognize its centrality to the intellectual life of the past and sociologists and anthropologists treat its importance in a number of modern cultures. Despite the historical and cultural significance of the subject, most reference works on astrology focus on instructional techniques and are written by astrologers with little or no interest in the history of the topic. This book instead offers an objective treatment of astrology across world history from ancient Mesopotamia to the present. The book provides alphabetically arranged entries by expert contributors writing on such topics as horoscopes, court astrologers, Renaissance astrology, and comets. While it considers the Western tradition, it also treats Islamic, Indian, East Asian, and Mesoamerican astrology. In doing so, it explores the role of astrology in shaping science, literature, religion, art, and other defining cultural traditions. Sidebars offer excerpts from various historical texts, while entries provide suggestions for further reading.

Observing God

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Publisher : Taylor & Francis
ISBN 13 : 1351914189
Total Pages : 314 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (519 download)

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Book Synopsis Observing God by : William J. Astore

Download or read book Observing God written by William J. Astore and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-07-05 with total page 314 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scottish theologian, educator, astronomer and popularizer of science, Thomas Dick (1774-1857) promoted a Christianized form of science to inhibit secularization, to win converts to Christianity, and to persuade evangelicals that science was sacred. His devotional theology of nature made radical claims for cultural authority. This book presents the first detailed analysis of his life and works. After an extended biographical introduction, Dick's theology of nature is examined within the context of natural theology, and also his views on the plurality of worlds, the nebular hypothesis and geology. Other chapters deal with Dick's use of aesthetics to shape social behaviour for millennial purposes, and with the publishing history of his works, their availability and their reception. In the final part, the author explores Dick's influence in America. His pacifism won him Northern evangelical supporters, while his writings dominated the burgeoning field of popular science, powerfully shaping science's cultural meaning and its uses.

Astronomy in the Ancient World

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Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 3319236008
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (192 download)

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Book Synopsis Astronomy in the Ancient World by : Alexus McLeod

Download or read book Astronomy in the Ancient World written by Alexus McLeod and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-06-17 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Alexus McLeod explores every aspect of the lesser-known history of astronomy in the Americas (Mesoamerica and North America), China and India, each through the frame of a particular astronomical phenomena. Part One considers the development of astronomy in the Americas as a response, in part, to the Supernova of 1054, which may have led to a cultural renaissance in astronomy. He then goes on to explore the contemporary understanding of supernovae, contrasting it with that of the ancient Americas. Part Two is framed through the appearances of great comets, which had major divinatory significance in early China. The author discusses the advancement of observational astronomy in China, its influence on politics and its role in the survival or failure of empires. Furthermore, the contemporary understanding of comets is also discussed for comparison. Part Three, on India, considers the magnificent observatories of the Rajput king Jai Singh II, and the question of their purpose. The origins of Indian astronomy are examined in Vedic thought and its development is followed through the period of Jai Singh, including the role played by solar eclipses. The author also includes a modern explanation of our understanding of eclipses to date. In the final section of the book, McLeod discusses how ancient traditions might help modern civilization better understand Earth’s place in the cosmos.

The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena

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Publisher : Visible Ink Press
ISBN 13 : 1578592305
Total Pages : 392 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (785 download)

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Book Synopsis The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena by : J Gordon Melton

Download or read book The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena written by J Gordon Melton and published by Visible Ink Press. This book was released on 2007-09-01 with total page 392 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Based on more than 250 occurrences and extraordinary experiences that have served to lift believers out of the mundane world and place them in contact with a transcendental reality, The Encyclopedia of Religious Phenomena explores unusual and unexplained physical events, apparitions, and other phenomena rooted in religious beliefs. Well-known religion expert, J. Gordon Melton takes readers on a tour amongst angels, Marian apparitions, and religious figures such as Jesus, the Buddha, Mohammad, and Tao Tzu. Melton reports on dreams and near-death experiences; feng shui and labyrinths; statues that bleed, drink milk, weep, and move; snake handling, speaking in tongues, and stigmata; relics, including the spear of Longinus and the Shroud of Turin; and sacred locales such as Easter Island, the Glastonbury Tor, the Great Pyramid, Mecca, and Sedona. Each entry includes a description of the particular phenomenon and the religious claims being made for it as well as a discussion of what a scientist might have to say about it. Transcending the mundane, the entries take no sides and make no arguments: the journey is the experience and the experience is the journey.

Religion and Superstition in Reformation Europe

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Publisher : Manchester University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780719061585
Total Pages : 258 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (615 download)

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Book Synopsis Religion and Superstition in Reformation Europe by : Helen Parish

Download or read book Religion and Superstition in Reformation Europe written by Helen Parish and published by Manchester University Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Superstition" is one of the most fought over terms in the history of early modern popular culture, especially religious culture, and is also one of the most difficult to define. This volume offers a novel approach to the issue, based upon national and regional studies, and examinations of attitudes to prophets, ghosts, saints, and demonology, alongside an analysis of Catholic responses to the Reformation and the apparent presence of "superstition" in the reformed churches. It challenges the assumptions that Catholic piety was innately superstitious, while Protestantism was rational, and suggests that the early modern concept of "superstition" needs more careful treatment by historians.

Comet/Asteroid Impacts and Human Society

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 3540327118
Total Pages : 546 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (43 download)

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Book Synopsis Comet/Asteroid Impacts and Human Society by : Peter T. Bobrowsky

Download or read book Comet/Asteroid Impacts and Human Society written by Peter T. Bobrowsky and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2007-06-10 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Leading specialists in various disciplines were first invited to a multidisciplinary workshop funded by ICSU on the topic to gain a better appreciation and perspective on the subject of comet/asteroid impacts as viewed by different disciplines. This volume provides a necessary link between various disciplines and comet/asteroid impacts.

The Prophet and the Astronomer: Apocalyptic Science and the End of the World

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Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393352064
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (933 download)

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Book Synopsis The Prophet and the Astronomer: Apocalyptic Science and the End of the World by : Marcelo Gleiser

Download or read book The Prophet and the Astronomer: Apocalyptic Science and the End of the World written by Marcelo Gleiser and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2003-07-17 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "An intellectual accomplishment that illuminates the magic and the wisdom of the heavens above."—Kirkus Reviews "Tracing our contemplation of the cosmos from the big bang to the big crunch" (The New Yorker), Marcelo Gleiser explores the shared quest of ancient prophets and today's astronomers to explain the strange phenomena of our skies—from the apocalypse foretold in Revelations to modern science's ongoing identification of multiple cataclysmic threats, including the impact of comets and asteroids on earthly life, the likelihood of future collisions, the meaning of solar eclipses and the death of stars, the implications of black holes for time travel, and the ultimate fate of the universe and time. Presenting insights to cosmological science and apocalyptic philosophy in an "easily accessible" (Library Journal) style, Gleiser is "a rare astrophysicist as comfortable quoting Scripture as explaining formulas" (Booklist). K. C. Cole praises his ability to "[work] the entwined threads of science and religion into a vision of 'the end' that is strangely comforting and inspiring."

The Wayward Comet

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Publisher : Universal-Publishers
ISBN 13 : 1627340645
Total Pages : 218 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (273 download)

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Book Synopsis The Wayward Comet by : Martin Beech

Download or read book The Wayward Comet written by Martin Beech and published by Universal-Publishers. This book was released on 2016-01-01 with total page 218 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Comets have not only blazed across the celestial vault throughout human history, they have embellished the night sky since the Earth itself formed some 4.5 billion years ago. Comets were among the first-born solid bodies in the solar system, and their frozen nuclei tell of the primordial chemistry and chaos that ultimately resulted in the formation of the planets, the evolution of life and us. For all this, however, comets have long been celestial oddities: they baffled our distant ancestors, and human society continues to marvel and speculate wildly at their appearance even to the present day. Cutting against the perceived constancy of the stars, comets seemingly present themselves at random times and they are often interpreted as harbingers of terrestrial change - both good and ill. How then are we to tame the comet: where do they form, how do they move, and can their appearances be predicted? Such questions have preoccupied astronomers for centuries but comets have only gradually allowed the secrets of their wayward flight to be revealed. In this book I explore the historical struggle to understand not only the place of comets within a societal context, but also the scientific quest to make their paths amenable to mathematical certitude. The latter narrative is the more technical in content, but it took tactile form with the invention, in 1732, of the cometarium, a mechanical device to demonstrate the first two of Kepler's planetary laws. And, this development was later paralleled, in the mid to late 19th century, by the development of various mechanical devices (analog computers) to help obtain solutions to Kepler's Problem - the problem which asks, exactly where in its orbit is a given comet at some specific set time. The telling of the wayward comets story covers the past two millennia of human history, and it takes us from the phenomenological musings of Aristotle, through the exactitude of Newton's gravitational theory and calculus, to the truly incredible study of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, by the European Space Agency's Rosetta spacecraft, in the modern era.

Enchanted Europe

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Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press on Demand
ISBN 13 : 0199257825
Total Pages : 486 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (992 download)

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Book Synopsis Enchanted Europe by : Euan Cameron

Download or read book Enchanted Europe written by Euan Cameron and published by Oxford University Press on Demand. This book was released on 2010-03-18 with total page 486 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Enchanted Europe offers the first comprehensive account of Europe's long, complex relationship with its own folklore and popular religion. From debates over the efficacy of charms and spells, to belief in fairies and demons, Euan Cameron constructs a compelling narrative of the rise and fall of 'superstition' in the European mind.

Atlantis New Beginning

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Publisher : Lulu.com
ISBN 13 : 1300369566
Total Pages : 516 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (3 download)

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Book Synopsis Atlantis New Beginning by : TJ Morris

Download or read book Atlantis New Beginning written by TJ Morris and published by Lulu.com. This book was released on with total page 516 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: