Course Programme
Daily sessions (4.30-5.30pm) using Zoom
Please plan to arrive online shortly before the session is due to begin.
Friday 15 May: Overview and outline; historiography and the idea of a ‘revolution’; modern approaches; the dangers of Whig historiography.
Saturday 16 May: Renaissance background: the collapse of the classical hegemony, more or less radical alternatives, the unimportance of astronomy and cosmology (!) and “engineering” as a new science.
Sunday 17 May: Copernicus and Kepler: it turns out that the question is physics, not cosmology.
Monday 18 May: Galileo and the triumph of the new science of mathematical mechanics (or maybe not). Who was reading Galileo?
Tuesday 19 May: Descartes: at last! A new natural philosophy based on mechanics. A pity it doesn’t work, however.
Wednesday 20 May: The mechanical philosophy: failure … but promise. Failed innovations in chemistry. Changing social context of the practicing ‘scientists’. Journals, institutions, communities.
Thursday 21 May: Newton: a new physics, but at the most terrible cost. Newtonianism going forward: experimental physics and mathematical physics
Additional requirements
ICE is committed to providing equality of opportunity and to a proactive and inclusive approach to equality. We aim to support and encourage under-represented groups, promote an inclusive culture, and value diversity.
Further information about student support.
Course materials
A book list, course syllabus and detailed timetable are circulated as far as possible in advance of a course. You will receive these documents by email if you have provided us with your email address; please check your spam folder if you have not received these documents.
You can also download material from the Documents section at the bottom of this page.
