The essays in this volume present a collective study of one of the major problems in the recent history of science: To what extent did the occult 'sciences' (alchemy, astrology, numerology, and natural magic) contribute to the scientific revolution of the late Renaissance? These studies of major scientists (Kepler, Bacon, Mersenne, and Newton) and of occultists (Dee, Fludd, and Cardano), complemented by analyses of contemporary official and unofficial studies at Cambridge and Oxford and discussions of the language of science, combine to suggest that hitherto the relationship has been too crudely stated as a movement 'from magic to science'. In fact, two separate mentalities can be traced, the occult and the scientific, each having different assumptions, goals, and methodologies. The contributors call into question many of the received ideas on this topic, showing that the issue has been wrongly defined and based on inadequate historical evidence. They outline new ways of approaching and understanding a situation in which two radically different and, to modern eyes, incompatible ways of describing reality persisted side-by-side until the demise of the occult in the late seventeenth century. Their work, accordingly, sets the whole issue in a new light.
Industry Reviews
'The essays are stimulating and provocative ... this excellent book.' Brian Easlea, American Historical Review 'The collection provides a valuable introduction to the state of the problem as well as to the work which remains to be done.' Katharine Park, Journal for the History of Astronomy 'A collection of papers which are often intelligent, well-written and admirably clear, and which are nearly always immensely stimulating.' Alastair Hamilton, The Heythrop Journal 'Le present volume nous presente les actes d'une colloque, edites avec le plus grand soin. Chacune des contributions est une etude approfondie, redigee par un specialiste d'une incontestable competence, et apportant des vues novatrices, ... partir d'un retour au texte ou aux sources manuscrites. Alors meme que les conclusions des auteurs ne sont pas toujours concordantes, le volume offre un modele de ce que peut accomplir un travail collectif. Questions bien posees, colloque sans temps morts, travaux qui se completent, excellente presentation synthetique (par Brian Vickers): le cas est assez rare pour qu'il vaille la peine d'etre salue. C'est un livre important qui nous est offert, et dont la lecture s'impose ... tous ceux qui etudient le premier essor de la pensee scientifique aux XVIe et XVIIe siecles.' Jean Starobinski, Gesnerus. Swiss Journal of the History of Medicine 'This stimulating and scholarly collection of essays ... will be of interest not only to students of the history of science but also to all who have occasion to reflect on the nature of history itself.' British Book News
