Mark Peterson makes an extraordinary claim in this fascinating
book focused around the life and thought of Galileo: it was the
mathematics of Renaissance arts, not Renaissance sciences, that
became modern science. "Galileo's Muse" argues that painters,
poets, musicians, and architects brought about a scientific
revolution that eluded the philosopher-scientists of the day,
steeped as they were in a medieval cosmos and its underlying
philosophy.
According to Peterson, the recovery of classical science owes
much to the Renaissance artists who first turned to Greek sources
for inspiration and instruction. Chapters devoted to their insights
into mathematics, ranging from perspective in painting to tuning in
music, are interspersed with chapters about Galileo's own life and
work. Himself an artist turned scientist and an avid student of
Hellenistic culture, Galileo pulled together the many threads of
his artistic and classical education in designing unprecedented
experiments to unlock the secrets of nature.
In the last chapter, Peterson draws our attention to the
"Oratio de Mathematicae laudibus "of 1627, delivered by one of
Galileo's students. This document, Peterson argues, was penned in
part by Galileo himself, as an expression of his understanding of
the universality of mathematics in art and nature. It is "entirely
Galilean in so many details that even if it is derivative, it must
represent his thought," Peterson writes. An intellectual adventure,
"Galileo s Muse" offers surprising ideas that will capture the
imagination of anyone scientist, mathematician, history buff, lover
of literature, or artist who cares about the humanistic roots of
modern science.
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