HPSC3014 Science in the Age of Newton Course Syllabus 2015-­‐16 session | Prof Andrew Gregory | [email protected] This course examines the rapid change from the ancient and medieval world picture to the Newtonian world picture which occurred in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Course Information Basic course information Course website: www.ucl.ac.uk/sts Moodle Web site: See Moodle Assessment: 2 x Essays (2500 words each) – 100% Timetable: www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/hpsc Prerequisites: None Required texts: None Course tutor(s): Professor Andrew Gregory Contact: [email protected] | t: 020 7679 2490 Web: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/silva/sts/staff/gregory Office location: 22 Gordon Square, Room 1.1 Office hours: Fridays 11 -­‐ 1 (or by appointment) HPSC3014 2015-­‐16 session [email protected] Schedule UCL Wk Date 1 20 Topic 15/01 Astronomy and Revolution 2 21 22/01 Francis Bacon See Moodle site 3 22 29/01 William Harvey See Moodle site 4 23 05/02 The Mechanical Philosophy See Moodle site 5 24 12/02 Magic and the Scientific Revolution See Moodle site 25 6 26 26/02 Hobbes and Boyle See Moodle site 7 27 04/03 The Royal Society See Moodle site 8 28 See Moodle site 9 29 07/03 Optics and Instruments 18/03 The Hidden Newton. 10 30 21/03 The Nature of the Scientific Revolution See Moodle site Reading Week Activity See Moodle site no lectures See Moodle site Assessments Summary Description Essay 1 Essay 2 Deadline 23:59 Friday 12th Feb 23:59 Thursday 19th March Word limit 2500 2500 Assignments Essays must be submitted via Moodle – more information will be provided on Moodle in terms of essay questions. In order to be deemed ‘complete’ on this module students must attempt all parts of the assessments. Criteria for assessment The departmental marking guidelines for individual items of assessment can be found in the STS Student Handbook. HPSC3014 2015-­‐16 session [email protected] Aims & objectives To provide an in depth examination of the changes involved in the transition from the medieval
world view to that of the post-Newtonian world. In particular, to investigate the changes in
cosmology and the nature of explanation, and the relation between these as they alter in the
seventeenth century. Also under examination will be the motivations and aims of the people that
bring about the major changes. Finally historiographical questions involving the nature of the
scientific revolution and how we write the history of it will also be examined.
By the end of the course it is hoped that you will have acquired:
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A detailed knowledge of the events and timescale of the scientific revolution.
An understanding of the relations between ontology, epistemology and explanation and how
each of these change in the scientific revolution.
An understanding of the methodological approaches taken by leading historians in
investigating the scientific revolution, and how these different methodologies generate
different histories of the period.
An understanding of how religious and philosophical debates affected the development of
science in this period.
Reading list. 1. What role did neoplatonism play in the Copernican revolution ?
Nicolai Copernicus, The Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, Ch. 1, (most is in Kuhn), E.
Rosen, Three Copernican Treatises, The Commentariolus.
E.A. Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science, Ch. 2.
J.R. Ravetz, The Copernican Revolution, Ch. 14, CHMS.
T.S. Kuhn, The Copernican Revolution, Ch. 5 & 6.
A. Koestler, The Sleepwalkers.
E.J. Dijksterhuis, The Mechanisation of the World Picture, pp. 288-323.
I.B Cohen, The Birth of a New Physics, Ch. 1-6.
A. Koyre, Galileo and Plato, in Metaphysics and Measurement.
2. Why did Bacon consider his new method superior to those of the ‘Greeks’ and the
‘empirics’ ?
Francis Bacon, Novum Organon.
M. Malherbe, Bacon’s Method of Science, Ch. 3 in M. Peltonen (ed.), The Cambridge
Companion to Bacon.
E.J Dijksterhuis, The Mechanisation of the World Picture, on Francis Bacon, pp. 396-402.
B. Willey, The Seventeenth Century Background, Ch. 2.
DoSB on Francis Bacon.
HPSC3014 2015-­‐16 session [email protected] M. Peltonen (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Bacon.
P. Urbach, Francis Bacon's Philosophy of Science, Ch. 3.
C.D. Broad, Bacon and the Experimental Method, Ch. 4 in The History of Science, ed. J.
Lindsay.
R.M. Blake, C.J. Ducasse and E.H. Madden, Theories of Scientific Method, Ch. 3.
P. Urbach, Francis Bacon's Philosophy of Science.
M. Hesse, Francis Bacon’s Philosophy of Science, in B. Vickers (ed.) Essential Articles for
the Study of Francis Bacon.
3. Discuss the contention that 'Harvey discovered circulation by extending the new mechanical
and quantitative approach to physiological enquiry’.
W. Harvey, The Circulation of the Blood.
A. Cunningham on Harvey, in R. Porter (ed.) Man Masters Nature.
A. Wear, The Heart and Blood from Vesalius to Harvey, CHMS Ch. 36.
A. Gregory, Harvey, Aristotle and the Weather Cycle.
A. Gregory, Harvey's Heart.
R. French, William Harvey's Natural Philosophy.
R.S. Westfall, The Construction of Modern Science, Ch. 5.
DoSB on Harvey.
W. Pagel, William Harvey's Biological Ideas.
W. Pagel, The Reaction to Aristotle in 17th Century Biological Thought, in E.A Underwood
(ed.), Science, Medicine and History, pp. 489-509.
4. Discuss Descartes’ ideas on the explanation of physical phenomena.
Rene Descartes, The Principles of Philosophy.
R.S. Westfall, The Construction of Modern Science, Ch. 2.
E.J. Dijksterhuis, The Mechanisation of the World Picture on Descartes, pp. 403-418.
E.A. Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science, Ch. 4.
D.M. Clarke, Descartes’ Philosophy of Science and the Scientific Revolution, in The
Cambridge Companion to Descartes, ed. J. Cottingham.
D. Garber, Descartes’ Physics, in J. Cottingham (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to
Descartes.
M. Tannery, CHMS Ch. 38, Atomism and the Mechanical Philosophy.
S. Voss (ed.) Essays on the Philosophy and Science of Rene Descartes.
5. What opposition was there to the new mechanical philosophy of Descartes and Hobbes ?
S.I. Mintz, The Hunting of Leviathan, Ch. 4 & 5.
E. Cassirer, The Platonic Renaissance in England, Ch. 5.
B. Easlea, Witch Hunting and the New Science, Ch. 4.
HPSC3014 2015-­‐16 session [email protected] R. Peters, Hobbes, Ch. 2 & 3.
E.A. Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science, Ch. 5 pp. 117-154.
M. Tamny, CHMS Ch. 38, Atomism and the Mechanical Philosophy.
P. Springborg, Hobbes on Religion, in T. Sorell (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Hobbes.
N. Jolley, The Reception of Descartes’ Philosophy, in J. Cottingham (ed.) The Cambridge
Companion to Descartes.
M.J. Osteler, Divine Will and the Mechanical Philosophy.
B. Willey, The Seventeenth Century Background, Ch. 6 & 8.
6. Discuss Newton's 'critical experiment' in relation to the theories of light held by the
Scholastics and the Cartesians.
Isaac Newton, Opticks.
C. Hakfoort, Newton's Optics: the Changing Spectrum of Science, in J. Fauvel (ed.), Let
Newton Be !
N.L. Maull, Cartesian Optics and the Geometrization of Nature.
D. Park, The Fire Within the Eye, Ch. 6 & 7.
G.N. Cantor, Physical Optics, in R.C Olby (ed.), CHMS pp. 627-638.
A.I. Sabra, Theories of Light From Descartes to Newton.
D.L. Lindberg, Theories of Vision from Al-Kindi to Kepler.
C.C. Gillispie, The Edge of Objectivity, Ch. 4, Newton with His Prism and Silent Face.
7. What were the key points at issue in the Leibniz-Clarke correspondence ?
H.G Alexander, The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence, Introduction.
F.E.L. Priestley, The Clarke-Leibniz Controversy, in R.E Butts and J.W Davis, The
Methodological Heritage of Newton.
A. Koyre, Leibniz and Newton, in M.G. Frankfurt (ed.), Leibniz, a Collection of Critical
Essays, pp. 239-280.
C.D. Broad, Leibniz’s Last Controversy with the Newtonians, Ch. 10 in Leibniz:
Metaphysics and Philosophy of Science, ed. R.S. Woolhouse
H.G. Alexander, The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence.
S. Brown, Leibniz, Ch. 13, Science and Religion.
D. Garber, Leibniz: Physics and Philosophy, in The Cambridge Companion to Leibniz, pp.
270-353.
8. Was Newton a mechanical philosopher ?
H.G Alexander, The Leibniz-Clarke Correspondence, Introduction.
A. Koyre, The Significance of the Newtonian Synthesis, in his Newtonian Studies.
E.J. Dijksterhuis, The Mechanisation of the World Picture, on Newton, pp. 463-492.
D. Kubrin, Newton and the Cyclical Cosmos, Journal of the History of Ideas 28 (1967), pp.
HPSC3014 2015-­‐16 session [email protected] 325-346.
I.B. Cohen, The Birth of a New Physics, Ch. 7, The Grand Design - A New Physics.
E.A. Burtt, The Metaphysical Foundations of Modern Physical Science, Ch. 7.
A. Gabbey, CHMS Ch. 16, Newton and Natural Philosophy.
A.R. Hall, The Scientific Revolution 1500-1800, Ch. 9, The Principiate of Newton.
J. Brooke, The God of Isaac Newton, in Let Newton Be !, ed. Fauvel.
A. Koyre, Newtonian Studies.
9. What role did the Royal Society play in helping to establish the new science ?
M. Hunter, The Establishment of the New Science: The Experience of the Early Royal
Society.
M. Hunter, Science and Society in Restoration England, The Significance of The Royal
Society.
A.R. Hall, The Scientific Revolution, Ch. 7.
R. Westfall, The Construction of Modern Science, Ch. 6.
S.F. Mason, A History of the Sciences, Ch. 22.
M. Hunter, Science and Society in Restoration England.
M.B Hall, Science in the Early Royal Society, in M. Crosland (ed.), The Emergence of
Science in Western Europe.
D. Stimson, Scientists and Amateurs, a History of the Royal Society.
M. Ornstein, The Role of Scientific Societies in the Seventeenth Century.
Important policy information Details of college and departmental policies relating to modules and assessments can be found in the STS Student Handbook www.ucl.ac.uk/sts/handbook All students taking modules in the STS department are expected to read these policies.