|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
Book Description
Directing his polemics against the pedantry of his time, Galileo, as his own popularizer, addressed his writings to contemporary laymen. His support of Copernican cosmology, against the Church's strong opposition, his development of a telescope, and his unorthodox opinions as a philosopher of science were the central concerns of his career and the subjects of four of his most important writings. Drake's introductory essay place them in their biographical and historical context.
From the Publisher
Directing his polemics against the pedantry of his time, Galileo, as his own popularizer, addressed his writings to contemporary laymen. His support of Copernican cosmology, against the Church's strong opposition, his development of a telescope, and his unorthodox opinions as a philosopher of science were the central concerns of his career and the subjects of four of his most important writings. Drake's introductory essay place them in their biographical and historical context.
Inside This Book
(Learn More)
First Sentence
Revealing great, unusual, and remarkable spectacles, opening these to the consideration of every man, and especially of philosophers and astronomers; Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Revealing great, unusual, and remarkable spectacles, opening these to the consideration of every man, and especially of philosophers and astronomers; Read the first page
Explore More
Concordance
Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Galileo's Ideas and Their Defense,
By
This review is from: Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo (Paperback)
The Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo consists of four works by Galileo Galilei: The Starry Messenger, Letters on Sunspots, Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, and The Assayer. They are each wonderfully translated by Stillman Drake. He omits unnecessary parts of the texts, to prevent verbosity or boredom, while still giving the reader the full sense of each work. Drake is a professor of the History of Science at the University of Toronto. Before each of Galileo's works, Drake gives an introduction which details the circumstances and events prompting Galileo to take up the pen. Drake presents an excellent history of the times and atmosphere along with the political forces that permeated the setting of early seventeenth century Italian academia. One gets a real feel for what Galileo was up against in presenting his ideas in the face of ecclesiastical and philosophical opposition.The Starry Messenger is Galileo's account of his first uses of his homemade telescope. He details his observations of the four newly discovered moons of Jupiter and several stars that can now be seen with the telescope. His Letters on Sunspots are a retort to another astronomer's theories on the nature of the phenomenon. In the Letter to the Grand Duchess Christina, Galileo puts up a staunch defense to the church in his adopting the Copernican heliocentric model of the universe. After being banned from teaching this opinion, Galileo makes a suave effort to communicate his ideas in a defense on the nature of comets in The Assayer. This is the story of Galileo verses old dogma. One cannot help but sympathize with Galileo in his frustration in communicating what he believed to be true. In light of our current knowledge of the solar system and the logical arguments Galileo puts forth it is hard not to feel a bit of the same frustration. This book is a great treatise on Galileo's ideas and his tenacity in defending them. Galileo's Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems would be an excellent companion to this book. Drake has published a translation of this work also. Galileo's thoughts and observations mark a milestone in the history of astronomy, and Drake's book venerates the man and his teachings.
5.0 out of 5 stars
The origins of modern physics,
This review is from: Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo (Paperback)
Beyond doubt, Galileo established the foundation of modern physics and his intellectual approach marked the onset of a highly successful process which continues to advance our understanding of physical reality. All students of science are familiar with the events which led to the confrontation between Galileo and the Church and of the outcome which impacted so negatively on the relationship between science and religion. This book includes Galileo's letter to Christina of Lorraine, Grand Duchess of Tuscany. the letter was written in 1615 and is titled "Concerning the Use of Biblical Quotations in Matters of Science". It is a masterpiece and I recommend it highly to everyone who is interested in Galileo, this highly relevant topic and what he really thought about it. Galileo was proudest of his discovery that bodies fall with time in the ratio of 1:3:5:.... . We can all be proud of what he wrote in this letter and the manner in which he expressed himself. If for no other reason than an opportunity to read and appreciate this document, the book is well worth reading
4.0 out of 5 stars
Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo,
By A Customer
This review is from: Discoveries and Opinions of Galileo (Paperback)
Although the introductory sections are a bit dated, this book contains some of the best translations available of Galileo's works in English. It includes a broad range of his theories (both those we recognize as "correct" and those in which he was "in error"). Both types indicate his creativity. The reproductions of his sketches of the moons of Jupiter (in "The Starry Messenger") are accurate enough to match to modern computer programs which show the positions of the moons for any date in history. The appendix with a chronological summary of Galileo's life is very useful in placing the readings in context.
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
