Elements of Early Modern Physics

J. L. Heilbron's Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics, which includes two lengthy introductory chapters and a concluding summary of the remaining chapters, examines the contributions of the Catholic Church to physics in the seventeenth century and the disagreements between Cartesian and Newtonian physicists in the first half of the eighteenth century.

Format: Hardback
Length: 314 pages
Publication date: 25 March 2022
Publisher: University of California Press

The Elements of Early Modern Physics is a comprehensive collection of two introductory chapters from J. L. Heilbron's monumental work, Electricity in the 17th and 18th Centuries: A Study of Early Modern Physics, along with a concluding summary of the remaining chapters. Heilbron begins by presenting the general principles of physical theory and outlining the institutional frameworks in which physics flourished during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. He argues that the Catholic Church played a pivotal role in shaping physics during this period. In the early half of the eighteenth century, Cartesian and Newtonian physicists engaged in philosophical debates but shared similar ideas and pursued a qualitative natural philosophy. The pursuit of an exact physics, which gained significant momentum after 1770, challenged the programs of both physicists. Heilbron demonstrates that historians have often misconstrued the nature of early modern science by focusing too narrowly on the Copernican revolution and the clash of great philosophical systems.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which celebrates the University of California Press's commitment to discovering and nurturing exceptional minds, providing them with a platform to express their ideas, reach a wider audience, and have a significant impact. Drawing from a rich backlist dating back to 1893, Voices Revived utilizes print-on-demand technology to make high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again. Originally published in 1982, this title is now revitalized and available to a new generation of scholars and enthusiasts.

Weight: 544g
Dimension: 210 x 148 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780520356658