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This landmark book is the first attempt
in two decades to survey the science of the ancient world,
the first attempt in four decades to write a comprehensive
history of medieval science, and the first attempt ever
to present a full, unified account of both ancient and medieval
science in a single volume. In The Beginnings of Western
Science, David C. Lindberg richly chronicles the development
of scientific ideas, practices, and institutions from pre-Socratic
Greek philosophy to late-medieval scholasticism.
Lindberg surveys all the most important
themes in the history of ancient and medieval science, including
developments in mathematics, astronomy, mechanics, optics,
alchemy, natural history, and medicine. In addition, he
offers an illuminating account of the transmission of scientific
knowledge from ancient Greece to medieval Islam and subsequently
to medieval Europe.
Lindberg's clearly written, superbly organized
chapters speak to scholars and nonspecialists alike, bringing
together a wealth of information. Throughout the book, he
pays close attention to the cultural and institutional contexts
within which scientific knowledge was created and disseminated
and to the ways in which philosophy and religion influenced
the content and practice of science.
Although he relies on a large body of important
scholarship produced over the past few decades by historians
of science, philosophy, and religion, Lindberg does not
hesitate to offer new interpretations and to hazard fresh
judgments aimed at resolving long-standing historical disputes.
A striking collection of rare and unusual photographs, maps,
and drawings beautifully illustrates the text.
David C. Lindberg is the Hilldale Professor
of the History of Science and former director of the Institute
for Research in the Humanities at the University of Wisconsin,
Madison. His previous books include Theories of Vision
from al-Kindi to Kepler and Science in the Middle
Ages, both published by the University of Chicago Press.
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