Artisan/Practitioners and the Rise of the New Sciences, 1400-1600
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oregon State University
Published:30th Nov '11
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This book provides the historical background for a central issue in the history of science: the influence of artisans, craftsmen, and other practitioners on the emergent empirical methodologies that characterized the "new sciences" of the late sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Long offers a coherent account and critical revision of the "Zilsel thesis," an influential etiological narrative which argues that such craftsmen were instrumental in bringing about the "Scientific Revolution."
Artisan/Practitioners reassesses the issue of artisanal influence from three different perspectives: the perceived relationships between art and nature; the Vitruvian architectural tradition with its appreciation of both theory and practice; and the development of "trading zones" —arenas in which artisans and learned men communicated in substantive ways. These complex social and intellectual developments, the book argues, underlay the development of the empirical sciences.
This volume provides new discussion and synthesis of a theory that encompasses broad developments in European history and study of the natural world. It will be a valuable resource for college-level teaching, and for scholars and others interested in the history of science, late medieval and early modern European history, and the Scientific Revolution.
This interesting, well-written volume offers an introduction to the history of Western science through an examination of the influence of artisans, craftspeople, and other practitioners such as weavers, painters, architect/engineers, instrument makers, and mariners on the emerging disciplines of the scientific revolution and the new humanism. . . . Recommended. Upper division undergraduates and above." —R. M. Davis, Choice.
"Long's subtle reshaping of the Zilsel thesis is developed over four chapters. . . . At one level Long's argument sits well with a range of studies that draw attention to the role of practical and commercial stimuli and non-elite individuals in the Scientific Revolution. However, her stronger claims go beyond this literature and should provoke debate. . . . Long's argument deserves serious consideration and is a significant contribution to this major debate." —Patrick Wallis, Renaissance Quarterly"Pamela O. Long's clear, accessible, and elegantly written recent book explores the ways that artisan/practitioners influenced the development of the new sciences in the years beteen 1400 and 1600. . . . Long guides readers . . . through a series of engaging chapters that introduce works and figures that are crucial to the development of these ideas, inclucing a wonderful account of the architecture of Rome from the pages of Vitruvius through the streets of a city dotted with obelisks and occasionally overcome with waters. Enjoy!" —Carla Nappi, New Books Network.
"Long has produced a lively and engaging book. . . . This is a book fo non-specialists based on her lectures as Horning Visiting Scholar in the Humanities at Oregon State University, and it works well as an accessible introduction to these issues." —Lesley Cormack, H-Net Reviews
"Long's latest book not only offers a timely review of this important dicussion, it also begins to make an important contribution to it. . . . This is a useful book on an important subject from a scholar who is well suited to write it." —Eric H. Ash, American Historical Review
ISBN: 9780870716096
Dimensions: 226mm x 152mm x 15mm
Weight: 305g
208 pages