The Sleepwalkers - A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe (Paperback, Revised)

This is a history of cosmology subtitled A History of man's changing vision of the Universe. Beginning in the Heroic Age with the Babylonians and Egyptians, the sixth century Greeks - Pythagoras, "the founder of Science as the word is understood today", Aristarchus, "the Greek Copernicus", Plato and Aristotle, Ptolemy, the last great astronomer of the Alexandrian School, Koestler traces cosmic theories through the Early (Platonic) Fathers,the Middle Ages, to the Renaissance when he shifts his narrative from "the evolution of cosmic ideas to the individuals who were chiefly responsible for them". He discusses the life and system of Copernicus whose "discovery" consisted in a reversal of the Ptolemaic system; the rivalry between Kepler and Galileo; the trial of Galileo which he believes "was not in the nature of a fatal collision between opposite philosophies of existence...but rather a clash of individual temperaments aggravated by unlucky coincidences." He concludes his study with The Newtonian Synthesis "because the cosmology of Einstein is as yet in a fluid state...too early to assess". This is a brilliant examination of inspiration, delusion, insight, dogmatism, a book which its author calls "a history of collective obsessions and controlled schizophrenias". Not for the uninitiate. (Kirkus Reviews)

Bringing the history of cosmology--from the Babylonians to Newton--to life in a masterly synthesis, Koestler shows how the modern world-view replaced the medieval world-view in the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century.

General

Imprint:	Penguin Books
Country of origin:	United Kingdom
Release date:	December 1989
First published:	June 1990
Authors:	Arthur Koestler • Herbert Butterfield
Dimensions:	198 x 129 x 24mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback - B-format
Pages:	623
Edition:	Revised
ISBN-13:	978-0-14-019246-9
Categories:	Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > Philosophy of science Books > Science & Mathematics > Science: general issues > History of science Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Popular astronomy Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Cosmology & the universe Books > Science & Mathematics > Astronomy, space & time > Space travel & exploration Books > Reference & Interdisciplinary > Interdisciplinary studies > Cultural studies > History of ideas, intellectual history Promotions
LSN:	0-14-019246-8
Barcode:	9780140192469

Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate? Let us know about it.

Does this product have an incorrect or missing image? Send us a new image.

Is this product missing categories? Add more categories.

Review This Product

No reviews yet - be the first to create one!