Short description:

This volume addresses the history and epistemology of early modern cosmology as a paradigmatic example of the intersections of scientific theories and philosophical issues. The authors reconstruct the development of cosmological ideas in the age of the ?scientific revolution? from Copernicus to Leibniz, taking into account the growth of a unified celestial-and-terrestrial mechanics. The volume investigates how, in the rise of the new science, cosmology displayed deep and multifaceted interrelations between philosophical concepts and scientific notions stemming from mechanics, mathematics and astronomy. Philosophical ideas were often employed to frame a general picture of the universe, as well as to criticize and interpret scientific notions and observational data. This interdisciplinary work reconstructs a conceptual web pervaded by various intellectual attitudes and drives. It presents a historical-epistemological itinerary which includes Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Huygens, Newton and Leibniz. For each of these authors, a presentation and commentary of their cosmological views is provided, and outlines of their most relevant physical concepts are given. Furthermore, the philosophical and epistemological implications of their scientific works are highlighted. The purpose of this work is to unravel the complex intertwining of the different aspects that characterized the emergence of a new view of the universe in the early modern centuries.

Long description:

This volume addresses the history and epistemology of early modern cosmology. The authors reconstruct the development of cosmological ideas in the age of ?scientific revolution? from Copernicus to Leibniz, taking into account the growth of a unified celestial-and-terrestrial mechanics. The volume investigates how, in the rise of the new science, cosmology displayed deep and multifaceted interrelations between scientific notions (stemming from mechanics, mathematics, geometry, astronomy) and philosophical concepts. These were employed to frame a general picture of the universe, as well as to criticize and interpret scientific notions and observational data.

This interdisciplinary work reconstructs a conceptual web pervaded by various intellectual attitudes and drives. It presents an historical?epistemological unified itinerary which includes Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, Huygens, Newton and Leibniz. For each of the scientists and philosophers, a presentation and commentary is made of their cosmological views, and where relevant, outlines of their most relevant physical concepts are given. Furthermore, the authors highlight the philosophical and epistemological implications of their scientific works. This work is helpful both as a synthetic overview of early modern cosmology, and an analytical exposition of the elements that were intertwined in early-modern cosmology. This book addresses historians, philosophers, and scientists and can also be used as a research source book by post-graduate students in epistemology, history of science and history of philosophy.

Table of Contents:

Foreword.- Preface.- Introduction.- Chapter 1. The elements of a cosmological model.- Chapter 2. Copernicus? astronomical revolution.- Chapter 3. Kepler: the cosmographer par excellence.- Chapter 4.Galileo and the spread of the Copernican system.- Chapter 5. Descartes and the new mechanistic paradigm.- Chapter 6. Huygens: the greatest Cartesian scientist.- Chapter 7. Newton and his system of the world.- Chapter 8. Leibniz: the philosopher-scientist.- Conclusion.- Bibliography.- Glossary of the Technical Terms.- Index of Subjects.- Index of Figures.- Index of Names.?