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Bezig met laden... The Light Ages: The Surprising Story of Medieval Sciencedoor Seb Falk
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Meld je aan bij LibraryThing om erachter te komen of je dit boek goed zult vinden. Op dit moment geen Discussie gesprekken over dit boek. I was fascinated by this one. And as the author intended, reading it has changed my entire perception of medieval scholarship. Focusing on the story of a respected but rather obscure English monk, John Westwyk, he builds the entire story of the development of knowledge of modern mathematics, astronomy, and navigation, as well as documenting the active interchange of scientific knowledge between cultures: European Christians and Jews, Indians, Persians, and even Chinese. Quick note: the text itself is only about 300 pages long; there are a hundred pages of back matter. I quickly gave up on trying to understand the mathematics and mechanics of the instruments these people used so adeptly and simply focused on the narrative, which was fascinating in itself. He gives extensive references and links to the many online copies of the original documents, such as this one of one of the astronomical instruments: http://cudl.lib.cam.ac.uk/view/MS-PETERHOUSE-00075-00001/1 Well worth stocking in all public and university libraries. This book is unusual in opening the mediaeval world to modern general readers while, at the same time, gently questioning assumptions about how history is studied and communicated. I especially liked how the career of historian Derek Price was subtly vaunted, and the elegant epilogue. The Firesign Theatre did a sketch of which the catchphrase was "Everything you know is wrong." That phrase could be a sub-title for this book. The author starts with the history of a manuscript that seemed to contain the handwriting of Geoffrey Chaucer. An newly discovered poem? No, a treatise on the use of the astrolabe, an instrument for determining the positions of various stars and planets. This is the beginning of a tour of medieval science, its origins in the need for accurate calendars to determine the timing of feast days, the calculations necessary and the instruments invented to aid in those calculations. An English monk of the 14th century is the center of the story as he labors in St. Albans Abbey to copy, amend and improve charts and eventually to invent a device known as the Equatorium. Seb Falk takes us on a tour of a Middle Ages in which Islamic, Jewish and Christian scholars shared information; the study of nature was seen as part of learning the glory of the Creator, and the great universities of Europe were created. Although much of the work concentrates on the astronomy/astrology that was the focus of John of Westwyk's work, Falk also mentions medieval medicine, war and trade. Very interesting, although the explanations of some of the calculations are somewhat dry. Line drawings and photos clarify the concepts. geen besprekingen | voeg een bespreking toe
"An illuminating guide to the scientific and technological achievements of the Middle Ages through the life of a crusading astronomer-monk. Soaring Gothic cathedrals, violent crusades, the Black Death: these are the dramatic forces that shaped the medieval era. But the so-called Dark Ages also gave us the first universities, eyeglasses, and mechanical clocks, proving that the Middle Ages were home to a vibrant scientific culture. In 'The Light Ages', Cambridge science historian Seb Falk takes us on an immersive tour of medieval science through the story of one fourteenth-century monk, John of Westwyk. From multiplying Roman numerals to navigating by the stars, curing disease, and telling time with an ancient astrolabe, we learn emerging science alongside Westwyk, while following the gripping story of the struggles and successes of an ordinary man in a precarious world. An enlightening history that argues that these times weren't so dark after all, 'The Light Ages' shows how medieval ideas continue to color how we see the world today"-- Geen bibliotheekbeschrijvingen gevonden. |
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Google Books — Bezig met laden... GenresDewey Decimale Classificatie (DDC)509.4Natural sciences and mathematics General Science History, geographic treatment, biography EuropeLC-classificatieWaarderingGemiddelde:
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The publisher's summary:
Soaring Gothic cathedrals, violent crusades, the Black Death: these are the dramatic forces that shaped the medieval era. But the so-called Dark Ages also gave us the first universities, eyeglasses and mechanical clocks. As medieval thinkers sought to understand the world around them, from the passing of the seasons, to the stars in the sky, they came to develop a vibrant scientific culture.
In The Light Ages Cambridge science historian Seb Falk takes us on a tour of medieval science through the eyes of one fourteenth century monk, John of Westwyk. Born in a rural manor, educated at England's grandest monastery and then exiled to a cliff top priory, Westwyk was an intrepid crusader, inventor and astrologer. From multiplying Roman numerals to navigating by the stars we learn emerging science. On our way we encounter the English abbot with leprosy who built a clock, the French craftsman turned spy and the Persian polymath who founded the world's most advanced observatory.
The book opens with a question concerning whether Geoffrey Chaucer wrote a book on science. It was later determined that John of Westwyk wrote the book. I thought it was fascinating how scholars figured this out. The chapters are laid out by type of science. We read about how monks learned to tell time and that there are planets they mistook as stars. From figuring out the time of day by watching the daily difference in light and dark hours, these monks, the scholars of the day, later brought the world clocks. While they initially thought the sun orbited Earth, their conclusions about time were correct. The later discovery that the Earth orbited the sun did not change these conclusions. Astrology was a major topic for study as was the invention and later improvement of the astrologer.
I enjoyed the first half of the book but was less interested in the second half. Alot of material was repeated and I was bored. I found myself skipping pages. At 396 pages in length, the book may have been easier to read if it was shorter. ( )