The Discovery of Kepler's Laws : The Interaction of Science, Philosophy, and Religion

Johannes Kepler's discovery of the basic quantitative laws that describe planetary motion placed the heliocentric cosmology of Copernicus on a sound mathematic basis and proved the way for Newton's work in the next century. In this balanced, clearly written book, Job Kazhamthadam, S.J., examines for the first time the religious, philosophical, and empirical factors that informed Kepler's thought and works and made his discovery possible. The Discovery of Kepler's Laws CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ABBREVIATION INTRODUCTION PART 1— KEPLER'S SYSTEM OF THOUGHT 1— Kepler's Religious Ideas The Keplerian Idea of God3 The Unique Place of God in Kepler's System Nature of God God the "Optimus Creator" God the Trinity God the One (God's Simple Nature) God the Rational God the Geometer God as Active Force God the Source of Light and Life God the Musician The Keplerian Idea of Humankind The Place of Humans in Kepler's System The Human Being as Co-creator The Human Being as Rational The Human Being as Geometer The Human Being as Dynamic Being The Human Being as Recipient of God's Light The Human Being as Lover of Harmony The Keplerian Idea of Nature The Place of Nature in Kepler's System Reflection of the Divine Persons in the Material Universe Reflection of the Trinitarian "Structure" in the Material World The First Person of the Trinity: The Sun as the Reflection of God the Father The Third Person of the Trinity: The Active Space between the Sun and the fixed Stars as the Reflec... The Second Person of the Trinity: The Mirroring of the Mystery of the Incarnation in the Material W... Reflection of the Divine Attributes in Nature Nature as Ordered Unity Nature as Rational Nature as Mathematical (Geometrical) Nature as Dynamic Nature as Harmonious Consequences of Kepler's Idea of Nature Parallels Between the Divine and Material Worlds Positive View of Nature Positive View Towards the Human Body The Traditional Distinction of Body-Soul, Matter-Spirit Challenged Sacred Character of the Study of Nature Sacred Character of Astronomy Astronomers are Priests Science and Religion Reconciled Keplerian Idea of Rationality in Religion Rationality as a Characteristic Mark of Religion Critical Spirit as a Characteristic Mark of Rationality 2— Kepler's Philosophical Ideas The Idea of "Philosophical" and the Idea of "A Reason" Kepler and Neoplatonism Kepler's Philosophical Principles Realism Mathematizability (Quantifiability)25 Controversy with Fludd Precision Causality and Sufficient Reason Concomitant Variation Dynamism Order Unity Harmony Universalizability (Generalizability) Economy of Nature Simplicity of Nature 3— Kepler's Scientific Ideas Observation Inference to Generalization Inference to the Unobservable Force Mass Physical Explanation The Scientific Method PART 2— THE DISCOVERY OF THE LAWS 4— The Acceptance of Copernicanism The Problem of Kepler's Acceptance of Copernicanism Two Views On Kepler's Acceptance of Copernicanism Robert Westman E. A. Burtt A More Complete Explanation of Kepler's Acceptance of Copernicanism Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas 5— The Development of a Truly Heliocentric view Shifting the Point of Reference to the Real Sun The Discovery and Its Importance Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas Acceptance of the Sun as the Point of Intersection of Planetary Orbital Planes The Discovery and Its Importance Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas Establishment of the Constancy of Inclination of Planetary Orbbital Planes to the Ecliptic The Discovery and Its Importance Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas Reintroduction of the Equant The Discovery and Its Importance Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas 6— The Vicarious Hypothesis and Its Failure The Discovery The Turning Point in Kepler's Work in Astronomy Reasons For Kepler's Decision to Start Anew Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas 7— The Final Break with Geocentrism The Importance of the Total Rejection of Geocentrism Factors Responsible for the Total Rejection of Geocentrism Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas 8— The Discovery of the Second Law Establishing the Distance Law The Origin and Development of the Distance Law Factors Responsible for the Discovery of the Distance Law Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas Establishing the Cause of Planetary Motion Kepler's Investigations Factors Responsible for the Discovery of the Cause of Motion Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas Studying the Actual Path of the Planet with the Help of the Distance Law and the Cause of Planetary ... Discovering the Area Law as a Method of Simplification Factors Responsible for Studying the Path of the Planet and Discovering the Area Law Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas 9— The Discovery of the First Law From The Circle to The Oval The Significance of the Discovery Kepler's Investigation Factors Responsible for This Discovery Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas From the Oval to the Ellipse Rejection of the Epicyclic Theory of Production of the Oval Acceptance of the Librational Model of Production of the Oval The Discovery of the Elliptical Orbit The Discovery of the Relation between the Planetary Libration and the Elliptical Orbit Factors Responsible for the Move from the Oval to the Ellipse Scientific or Empirical Ideas Philosophical Ideas Religious Ideas Conclusion An Integrated View of Kepler's Thought A New Assessment of Kepler's Influence Influence on Theology: The Birth of a New Outlook towards Scriptural Interpretation Kepler's Influence on Philosophy Kepler's Influence on Science and the Philosophy of Science The Birth of Mechanical Philosophy The Birth of the New Science New Goal of Science: From "Saving the Phenomena" to Explaining the Phenomena New Domain of Science: The Fusion of the Celestial and the Terrestrial New Method of Science: The Fusion of Mathematics and Physics New Criterion in Science: The Emphasis on the Physical NOTES Introduction 1— Kepler's Religious Ideas 2— Kepler's Philosophical Ideas 3— Kepler's Scientific Ideas 4— The Acceptance of Copernicanism 5— The Development of a Truly Heliocentric View 6— The Vicarious Hypothesis and Its Failure 7— The Final Break with Geocentrism 8— The Discovery of the Second Law 9— The Discovery of the First Law Conclusion GLOSSARY OF SELECT TECHNICAL TERMS BIBLIOGRAPHY INDEX A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z ABOUT THE AUTHOR Pt. 1. Kepler's System Of Thought. 1. Kepler's Religious Ideas. 2. Kepler's Philosophical Ideas. 3. Kepler's Scientific Ideas -- Pt. 2. The Discovery Of The Laws. 4. The Acceptance Of Copernicanism. 5. The Development Of A Truly Heliocentric View. 6. The Vicarious Hypothesis And Its Failure. 7. The Final Break With Geocentrism. 8. The Discovery Of The Second Law. 9. The Discovery Of The First Law. Job Kozhamthadam. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. This text examines the religious, philosophical and empirical factors that informed Kepler's thought and works. It seeks to reassess Kepler's importance in the histories of religion, philosophy and science.