The Reception of Copernicus’ Heliocentric Theory : Proceedings of a Symposium Organized by the Nicolas Copernicus Committee of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science Toruń, Poland 1973

In 1965 the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science founded the Nicolas Copernicus Committee whose main task was to explore the means by th which different nations could co-operate in celebrating the 5 centenary of the great scholar's birth. The committee initiated the publication of a collection of studies dealing with the effect that Copernicus' theory has had on scientific developments in centres of learning all over the world. An Editorial Board, consisting of J. Dobrzycki (Warsaw), J. R. Ravetz (Leeds), H. Sandblad (Goteborg) and B. Sticker (Hamburg), was nominated. We found that our initiative aroused a lively interest among Copernicus scholars; the present volume, with 11 articles by authors from nine American, Asian and European countries, contains the result of their research. It appears in the series 'Studia Coper­ nicana' by agreement with the Polish Academy of Science, and we hope to publish a number of other contributions in a subsequent volume. We are happy to say that our efforts have been fruitful and that this volume presents not only several in-depth studies, but also a more general survey of the rules governing the evolution of science, rules set within the framework of Copernicus' theory as it developed among various nations and in various scientific institutions over the centuries. It has been shown once again that, 500 years after his birth, the work of Copernicus remains a source of scientific interest and continues to stimulate fresh study and research. Front Matter....Pages 1-6 The Comet and the Cosmos: Kepler, Mästlin and the Copernican Hypothesis....Pages 7-30 Copernican Influence on Tycho Brahe....Pages 31-55 Die Kopernikanische Konsequenz für den Zeitbegriff....Pages 57-77 From Negation to Acceptance....Pages 79-116 How Copernicanism Took Root in Denmark and Norway....Pages 117-151 Diffusion of Copernicanism in Japan....Pages 153-188 The Copernican System in Great Britain....Pages 189-239 The Receptions of the Copernican System in Sweden....Pages 241-270 Copernicus in Spain....Pages 271-291 Science for the People: Copernicanism and Newtonianism in the Almanacs of Early America....Pages 293-309 The Reception of Copernicanism in Hungary....Pages 311-356 Back Matter....Pages 357-368 Proceedings of a Symposium Organized by the `Nicolas Copernicus Committee' of the International Union of the History and Philosophy of Science, Torun, Poland, 1973