Universities and Science in the Early Modern Period (Archimedes Book 12)

The past two decades have witnessed a striking re evaluation of early modern institutions of higher learning as impoverished intellectual centers, hostile to new modes of thought. The present volume offers the most comprehensive synthesis to date of the fecundity of early modern universities, their receptivity to novel scientific ideas, and their contribution to the critical dialogue that vitalized the emergent European scientific community. The "soul" of the early modern university was its well-rounded, humanistically informed curriculum and the culture of erudition it inculcated. The authors of this volume offer a fresh assessment of how this course of study affected generations of natural philosophers, from the Iberian Peninsula to Scandinavia, from Italy to Scotland, even as it was increasingly modified to accommodate the new science. The fresh evidence gathered here emphasizes just how rigorously science was pursued by academics, notwithstanding institutional constraints. Individually, each paper illustrates the nexus of complexities specific locales made on the reception and transmission of scientific ideas; collectively, the papers offer a comparative framework that should prove invaluable in our evaluating the profound changes undergone by early modern universities during the era of Scientific Revolution. Introduction....Pages 1-7 “Mathematics for Astronomy” at Universities in Copernicus’ Time: Modern Atitudes Toward Ancient Problems....Pages 9-28 The University of Salamanca and the Renaissance of Astronomy During the Second Half of the 15th Century....Pages 29-36 Medical Science and Medical Teaching at the University of Salamance in the 15th Century....Pages 37-64 The Faculty of Medicine of Valencia: Its Position in Renaissance Europe....Pages 65-82 The Cultivation of Astronomy in Spanish Universities in the Latter Half of the 16th Century....Pages 83-98 The Sphere of Jacques du Chevreul: Astronomy at the University of Paris in the 1620s....Pages 99-109 Lectures and Practices. The Variety of Mathematical and Mechanical Teaching at the University of Uppsala in the 17th Century....Pages 111-125 Mathematical Research in Italian Universities in the Modern Era....Pages 127-139 Universities, Academies, and Sciences in Italy in the Modern Age....Pages 141-151 Natural Philosophy and Mathematics in Portuguese Universities, 1550–1650....Pages 153-168 Venetian Policy Toward the University of Padua and Scientific Progress During the 18th Century....Pages 169-181 Candide in Caledonia: The Culture of Science in the Scottish Universities, 1690–1805....Pages 183-199 The Sciences at the University of Rome in the 18th Century....Pages 201-230 Enlightenment and Renovation in the Spanish University....Pages 231-239 Spanish Chemistry Textbooks During Late 18th Century: Building up a New Genre of Scientific Literature....Pages 241-257 Botany in University Studies in the Late 18th Century. The Case of Valencia University....Pages 259-272 Scientific Education and the Crisis of the University in 18th Century Barcelona....Pages 273-288 The Theories of Copernicus and Newton in the Viceroyship of Nueva Granada and the Audiencia De Caracas During the 18th Century....Pages 289-309 This book includes most of the contributions presented at a conference on “Univ- sities and Science in the Early Modern Period” held in 1999 in Valencia, Spain. The conference was part of the “Five Centuries of the Life of the University of Valencia” (Cinc Segles) celebrations, and from the outset we had the generous support of the “Patronato” (Foundation) overseeing the events. In recent decades, as a result of a renewed attention to the institutional, political, social, and cultural context of scienti?c activity, we have witnessed a reappraisal of the role of the universities in the construction and development of early modern science. In essence, the following conclusions have been reached: (1) the attitudes regarding scienti?c progress or novelty differed from country to country and follow differenttrajectoriesinthecourseoftheearlymodernperiod;(2)institutionsofhigher learning were the main centers of education for most scientists; (3) although the universities were sometimes slow to assimilate new scienti?c knowledge, when they didsoithelpednotonlytoremovethesuspicionthatthenewsciencewasintellectually subversivebutalsotomakesciencearespectableandevenprestigiousactivity;(4)the universities gave the scienti?c movement considerable material support in the form of research facilities such as anatomical theaters, botanical gardens, and expensive instruments; (5) the universities provided professional employment and a means of support to many scientists; and (6) although the relations among the universities and the academies or scienti?c societies were sometimes antagonistic, the two types of institutionsoftenworkedtogetherinharmony,performingcomplementaryratherthan competing functions; moreover, individuals moved from one institution to another, as did knowledge, methods, and scienti?c practices. The ""soul"" of the early modern university was its well-rounded, humanistically informed curriculum. This volume offers synthesis of the fecundity of early modern universities, their receptivity to novel scientific ideas, and their contribution to the critical dialogue that vitalized the emergent European scientific community