Ebook: The Origins of Statics: The Sources of Physical Theory

If ever a major study of the history of science should have acted like a sudden revolution it is this book, published in two volumes in 1905 and 1906 under the title, Les origines de la statique. Paris, the place of publication, and the Librairie scientifique A. Hermann that brought it be enough of a guarantee to prevent a very different out, could seem to outcome. Without prompting anyone, for some years yet, to follow up the revolutionary vistas which it opened up, Les origines de la statique certainly revolutionized Duhem's remaining ten or so years. He became the single-handed discoverer of a vast new land of Western intellectual history. Half a century later it could still be stated about the suddenly proliferating studies in medieval science that they were so many commentariesonDuhem's countlessfindings and observations. Of course, in 1906, Paris and the intellectual world in general were mesmerized by Bergson's Evolution creatrice, freshly off the press. It was meant to bring about a revolution. Bergson challenged head-on the leading dogma of the times, the idea of mechanistic evolution. He did so by noting, among other things, that to speak of vitalism was at least a roundabout recognition of scientific ignorance about a large number of facts concerning life-processes. He held high the idea of a "vital impetus passing through matter," and indeed through all matter or the universe, an impetus thatcould be detected only through intuitiveknowledge.

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-9
Aristotle and Archimedes (384–322 and 287–212 B.C)....Pages 11-15
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)....Pages 16-29
Jerome Cardan (1501–1576)....Pages 30-40
The Impossibility of Perpetual Motion....Pages 41-46
The Alexandrian Sources of Medieval Statics....Pages 47-74
Statics During the Middle Ages Jordanus de Nemore....Pages 75-91
The Statics of the Middle Ages (Continued) the School of Jordanus....Pages 92-113
The Statics of the Middle Ages and Leonardo da Vinci....Pages 114-137
The School of Jordanus in the 16th Century Nicolo Tartaglia....Pages 138-147
The Reaction Against Jordanus Guido Ubaldo — G. B. Benedetti....Pages 148-165
Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)....Pages 166-183
Simon Stevin (1548–1620)....Pages 184-200
The French Contribution to Statics — Roberval....Pages 201-225
The French Contribution to Statics (Continued) Ren? Descartes (1596–1650)....Pages 226-243
The Mechanical Properties of the Center of Gravity from Albert of Saxony to Evangelista Torricelli....Pages 261-356
The Doctrine of Albert of Saxony and the Geostaticians....Pages 357-379
The Systematization of the Laws of Statics....Pages 380-448
Back Matter....Pages 449-596

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Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-9
Aristotle and Archimedes (384–322 and 287–212 B.C)....Pages 11-15
Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)....Pages 16-29
Jerome Cardan (1501–1576)....Pages 30-40
The Impossibility of Perpetual Motion....Pages 41-46
The Alexandrian Sources of Medieval Statics....Pages 47-74
Statics During the Middle Ages Jordanus de Nemore....Pages 75-91
The Statics of the Middle Ages (Continued) the School of Jordanus....Pages 92-113
The Statics of the Middle Ages and Leonardo da Vinci....Pages 114-137
The School of Jordanus in the 16th Century Nicolo Tartaglia....Pages 138-147
The Reaction Against Jordanus Guido Ubaldo — G. B. Benedetti....Pages 148-165
Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)....Pages 166-183
Simon Stevin (1548–1620)....Pages 184-200
The French Contribution to Statics — Roberval....Pages 201-225
The French Contribution to Statics (Continued) Ren? Descartes (1596–1650)....Pages 226-243
The Mechanical Properties of the Center of Gravity from Albert of Saxony to Evangelista Torricelli....Pages 261-356
The Doctrine of Albert of Saxony and the Geostaticians....Pages 357-379
The Systematization of the Laws of Statics....Pages 380-448
Back Matter....Pages 449-596
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