The Reception of Isaac Newton in Europe

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The writings and example of Isaac Newton transformed understandings of the practice and meaning of the sciences across Europe in the centuries following the publication of the Principia in 1687. The essays in these volumes consider the impact of Newton's ideas from three distinct but interlocking perspectives: their reception in particular geographical areas and language communities; their importance for particular fields of intellectual and practical endeavour, and their influence on other thinkers who, in turn, shaped Newton's intellectual legacy. They provide, for the first time, a picture of the fate of Newton's work across mainland Europe, giving an account of Newton's influence in the humanities, arts and social sciences, as well as in mathematics, physics and the natural sciences in general.

Reviews

Each of the three volumes in this comprehensive entry in Bloomsburys Reception of British and Irish Authors in Europe series approaches the reception of Newtons work from a particular angle. The ten essays in the first volume cover various geographical and language communities in Europe (French-speaking lands, Low Countries, Iberian Peninsula, and so on). The second volume (16 essays) focuses on the content of Newtonianism, looking at, for example, celestial mechanics and gravitational theory, optical work, chemistry, and alchemy). The final volume comprises 18 essays on responses to Newtonianism by individuals and groups, among them Christiaan Huygens, Leibniz, the Bernoullis, Voltaire, and "women readers" in 18th-century Italy. The contributors are all recognized scholars in the history of science and the specialized areas covered, and the essays are insightful and well written. Newton is of course a towering figure in science history, and it will be enlightening for students to see how his ideas spread, caused controversies, were challenged, and were eventually adopted, even if with reservations in some cases. The essays will serve as a rich source for engaged students looking for topic ideas, background, and facts for papers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. * CHOICE *

Author Bio

Scott Mandelbrote is Fellow and Director of Studies in History at Peterhouse, University of Cambridge, UK. Helmut Pulte is Chair for Philosophy and History of Science at Ruhr University, Bochum, Germany.