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The Origins of Statics

The Sources of Physical Theory

  • Book
  • © 1991

Overview

Authors:
  1. Pierre Duhem
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Part of the book series: Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science (BSPS, volume 123)

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Table of contents (17 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-9
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  2. Aristotle and Archimedes (384–322 and 287–212 B.C)

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 11-15

  3. Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519)

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 16-29

  4. Jerome Cardan (1501–1576)

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 30-40

  5. The Impossibility of Perpetual Motion

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 41-46

  6. The Alexandrian Sources of Medieval Statics

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 47-74

  7. Statics During the Middle Ages Jordanus de Nemore

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 75-91

  8. The Statics of the Middle Ages (Continued) the School of Jordanus

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 92-113

  9. The Statics of the Middle Ages and Leonardo da Vinci

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 114-137

  10. The School of Jordanus in the 16th Century Nicolo Tartaglia

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 138-147

  11. The Reaction Against Jordanus Guido Ubaldo — G. B. Benedetti

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 148-165

  12. Galileo Galilei (1564–1642)

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 166-183

  13. Simon Stevin (1548–1620)

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 184-200

  14. The French Contribution to Statics — Roberval

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 201-225

  15. The French Contribution to Statics (Continued) René Descartes (1596–1650)

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 226-243

  16. The Mechanical Properties of the Center of Gravity from Albert of Saxony to Evangelista Torricelli

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 261-356

  17. The Doctrine of Albert of Saxony and the Geostaticians

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 357-379

  18. The Systematization of the Laws of Statics

    • Pierre Duhem
    Pages 380-448

  19. Back Matter

    Pages 449-596
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Keywords

About this book

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.

Reviews

'This volume is a notable addition to the growing literature on Duhem, and will be found invaluable by a wide range of readers.' Science and Religion Forum Reviews July 1992

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