The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory A.D. 1450, Second Edition

When it was first published in 1992, The Beginnings of Western Science was lauded as the first successful attempt ever to present a unified account of both ancient and medieval science in a single volume. Chronicling the development of scientific ideas, practices, and institutions from pre-Socratic Greek philosophy to late-Medieval scholasticism, David C. Lindberg surveyed all the most important themes in the history of science, including developments in cosmology, astronomy, mechanics, optics, alchemy, natural history, and medicine. In addition, he offered an illuminating account of the transmission of Greek science to medieval Islam and subsequently to medieval Europe. The Beginnings of Western Science was, and remains, a landmark in the history of science, shaping the way students and scholars understand these critically formative periods of scientific development. It reemerges here in a second edition that includes revisions on nearly every page, as well as several sections that have been completely rewritten. For example, the section on Islamic science has been thoroughly retooled to reveal the magnitude and sophistication of medieval Muslim scientific achievement. And the book now reflects a sharper awareness of the importance of Mesopotamian science for the development of Greek astronomy. In all, the second edition of The Beginnings of Western Science captures the current state of our understanding of more than two millennia of science and promises to continue to inspire both students and general readers. Contents 8 List of Illustrations 12 Preface 16 1 Science Before the Greeks 18 2 The Greeks and the Cosmos 38 3 Aristotle’s Philosophy of Nature 62 4 Hellenistic Natural Philosophy 84 5 The Mathematical Sciences in Antiquity 99 6 Greek and Roman Medicine 128 7 Roman and Early Medieval Science 149 8 Islamic Science 180 9 The Revival of Learning in the West 210 10 The Recovery and Assimilation of Greekand Islamic Science 242 11 The Medieval Cosmos 271 12 The Physics of the Sublunar Region 303 13 Medieval Medicine and Natural History 338 14 The Legacy of Ancient and Medieval Science 374 Notes 386 Bibliography 430 Index 480 David C. Lindberg surveys the most important themes in the history of science, including developments in cosmology, astronomy, mechanics, optics, alchemy, natural history and medicine. In addition, he offers an account of the transmission of Greek science to medieval Islam and subsequently medieval Europe