Descartes and the Hyperbolic Quest

Descartes and the Hyperbolic Quest
Author: D. Graham Burnett
Publisher: American Philosophical Society
Total Pages: 166
Release: 2005
Genre: Mathematics
ISBN: 9780871699534

In 1629, the natural philosopher René Descartes enticed a young artisan to undertake a secretive project, one that promised to revolutionize early modern astronomy. Descartes believed he had conceived a new kind of telescope lens, shaped by the light of reason itself, & surpassing anything ever to come from the hands of the glass-working craftsmen of the era. These novel lenses would never be touched by human hands -- they would be cut by an elaborate machine, a self-regulating & automatic device. This study traces the inception, development, & finally the collapse of this ambitious enterprise, which absorbed the energies & attentions of a broad range of 17th-century savants, including Huygens, Wren, Hevelius, Hooke, & even Newton. Illus.

Silencing the Demon’s Advocate

Silencing the Demon’s Advocate
Author:
Publisher: Stanford University Press
Total Pages: 209
Release: 2008-04-23
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 080477966X

The author argues that many problems of interpretation including notorious problems of circularity, arise from a failure to recognise that Descartes' strategy for the attainment of certainty is not to add support for his beliefs, but to subtract grounds for doubt.

Descartes and the Ingenium

Descartes and the Ingenium
Author: Raphaële Garrod
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 253
Release: 2020-11-23
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004437622

A historically-informed account of the lasting importance of embodied thought in the intellectual trajectory of René Descartes, still remembered today as the founding father of dualism.

The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism

The Oxford Handbook of Descartes and Cartesianism
Author: Steven M. Nadler
Publisher:
Total Pages: 843
Release: 2019
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0198796900

An illustrious team of scholars offer a rich survey of the thought of Rene Descartes; of the development of his ideas by those who followed in his footsteps; and of the reaction against Cartesianism. Epistemology, method, metaphysics, physics, mathematics, moral philosophy, political thought, medical thought, and aesthetics are all covered.

The Past, Present, and Future of Integrated History and Philosophy of Science

The Past, Present, and Future of Integrated History and Philosophy of Science
Author: Emily Herring
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 244
Release: 2019-05-14
Genre: History
ISBN: 1351214802

Integrated History and Philosophy of Science (iHPS) is commonly understood as the study of science from a combined historical and philosophical perspective. Yet, since its gradual formation as a research field, the question of how to suitably integrate both perspectives remains open. This volume presents cutting edge research from junior iHPS scholars, and in doing so provides a snapshot of current developments within the field, explores the connection between iHPS and other academic disciplines, and demonstrates some of the topics that are attracting the attention of scholars who will help define the future of iHPS.

The Origins of the Telescope

The Origins of the Telescope
Author: Albert Van Helden
Publisher: Amsterdam University Press
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2010
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9069846152

The origins of the telescope have been discussed and debated since shortly after the instrument's appearance in The Hague in 1608. Civic and national pride have led local dignitaries, popular writers, and numerous scholars to search the archives and to construct sharply divergent histories. Did the honor of the invention belong to the Dutch, to the Italians, to the English, or to the Spanish? And if the city of Middelburg in the Netherlands was, in fact, the cradle of the instrument, was the "true inventor" Hans Lipperhey or his rival Zacharias Jansen? Or was the instrument there before anyone knew it? Over the past several decades, a group of historians and scientists have sought out new documents, re-examined familiar ones, and tested early lenses and telescopes. This volume contains the proceedings of a symposium held in Middelburg in September 2008 to mark 400 years of the telescope. The essays in it, taken as a whole, present a new and convincing account of the origins of the instrument that changed mankind's vision of the universe.

Light

Light
Author: Bruce Watson
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 313
Release: 2016-02-02
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1620405598

Light begins at Stonehenge, where crowds cheer a solstice sunrise. After sampling myths explaining First Light, the story moves on to early philosophers' queries, then through the centuries, from Buddhist temples to Biblical scripture, when light was the soul of the divine. Battling darkness and despair, Gothic architects crafted radiant cathedrals while Dante dreamed a "heaven of pure light." Later, following Leonardo's advice, Renaissance artists learned to capture light on canvas. During the Scientific Revolution, Galileo gathered light in his telescope, Descartes measured the rainbow, and Newton used prisms to solidify the science of optics. But even after Newton, light was an enigma. Particle or wave? Did it flow through an invisible "ether"? Through the age of Edison and into the age of lasers, Light reveals how light sparked new wonders--relativity, quantum electrodynamics, fiber optics, and more. Although lasers now perform everyday miracles, light retains its eternal allure. "For the rest of my life," Einstein said, "I will reflect on what light is." Light explores and celebrates such curiosity.