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The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory to A.D. 1450 | 
| Author: David C. Lindberg
Publisher: University Of Chicago Press
Category: Book
List Price: $25.00
Buy New: $16.50
You Save: $8.50 (34%)
Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 47356
Media: Paperback
Edition: 2
Pages: 480
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.2 x 1.3
ISBN: 0226482057
Dewey Decimal Number: 509.4
EAN: 9780226482057
ASIN: 0226482057
Publication Date: April 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
When it was first published in 1992, The Beginnings of Western Science was lauded as the first successful attempt ever to present a unified account of both ancient and medieval science in a single volume. Chronicling the development of scientific ideas, practices, and institutions from pre-Socratic Greek philosophy to late-Medieval scholasticism, David C. Lindberg surveyed all the most important themes in the history of science, including developments in cosmology, astronomy, mechanics, optics, alchemy, natural history, and medicine. In addition, he offered an illuminating account of the transmission of Greek science to medieval Islam and subsequently to medieval Europe. The Beginnings of Western Science was, and remains, a landmark in the history of science, shaping the way students and scholars understand these critically formative periods of scientific development. It reemerges here in a second edition that includes revisions on nearly every page, as well as several sections that have been completely rewritten. For example, the section on Islamic science has been thoroughly retooled to reveal the magnitude and sophistication of medieval Muslim scientific achievement. And the book now reflects a sharper awareness of the importance of Mesopotamian science for the development of Greek astronomy. In all, the second edition of The Beginnings of Western Science captures the current state of our understanding of more than two millennia of science and promises to continue to inspire both students and general readers.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 The Begiinings ofWestern Science: The European.... December 20, 2008
Jay M. Enoch (Berkeley, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have read a number of publications by David Lindberg starting with his dissertation at U. Chicago. This book, like his other publications, is well wrttten, understandable and useful. I recommend this book to the scientific audience as a fine resource for us all. It brings together a great scholarly exposition of the history of modern science, which in large measure has European origins.
 comprehensive May 29, 2008
N. J. Harmon (Columbus, OH USA)
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
This is a good comprehensive overview of 'science' from prehistory to pre-Scientific Revolution though the content of the book is heavily weighted toward the medieval period. I found the coverage of the more ancient period to be much more fascinating compared to the more boring medieval period.
One thing I hoped to gain from this book is an understanding of pre-Copernican astronomy. While it is covered in some depth, I did not end up fully grasping the rather complex mechanisms of Ptolemy's celestial description. I think more figures would have been useful. Overall, I would prefer to have more in depth coverage of the details but I can't blame the book since that is not its intent.
On an aside, an interesting tidbit was mentioned by the author concerning Plato's Academy. I had learned that the Byzantine Emperor Justinian shut it down in 529 AD (read as oppressive Christian persecuting open minded pagans). However the author here points out that first of all the Academy was not continuously running from Plato to the 6th century but had been refounded in the 5th century and lasted till 560.
I really liked the last chapter of the book where he talks about historians have viewed science of the middle ages - is it continuous with the early modern period or is there a sharp divide when people really started doing something wholly different than what they were doing before? I wish the author would have brought up this theme more thoughout the book instead of briefly at the end.
The tone of the book is sympathetic to the Medieval culture and the Church by extension. He takes a very non-judgmental approach to the point where he is frequently asking his readers to not judge the culture of the past by our current standards. I don't mind the lesson once, but he repeates it ad nauseum.
Great book from a biology major. August 9, 2006
K. Lyon
2 out of 7 found this review helpful
As good of a book as you will ever find on the subject of the history and origin of science.
Clearly the best ancient/medieval science text that exists! May 31, 2001
Matt (Lincoln, Nebraska)
25 out of 27 found this review helpful
I read the Beginnings of Western Sceince as a student at the University of Wisconsin-Madison where I had the extreme priviledge of taking two history of science courses from the author, who is also an absolutely outstanding professor. (And also one of the two or three most knowledgeable people in the world in the history of medieval science) This is by far the most comprehensive text on the history of ancient and medieval science that is out there. You might not believe it, but there aren't even a lot of other texts that cover half of what is discussed here period, let alone any that are this polished and concise. This book not only covers the development of western science from ancient times throught the Middle Ages, but it also considers the religious, and philosophical roots of this development. This book is masterfully written in that it provides a tremendous amount of detail, and yet is accessible to anyone that is an educated and interested reader. I cannot recommend this text highly enough.Also Recommended: The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas Kuhn In his book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions, Thomas Kuhn discusses the importance of history and its relationship to science, the changing views of how historians view past scientific achievements, the role of scientific method in science, and the nature and foundations of scientific revolutions.
A great book by a great professor November 2, 2000
Aaron Louis DeMichael (Madison, Wisconsin)
18 out of 22 found this review helpful
I had to read this book because I'm currently taking a history of science class taught by the author at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and I just want to say it's excellent. It is clear, concise and (best of all from a student's point of view) not boring. It teaches you so much about looking at things in context. This is a great book from a great professor.
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