The Origins of Modern Science

The first textbook covering the history of science from antiquity through the Scientific Revolution. Providing students of all backgrounds with the tools to study science like a historian, Gal covers everything from Pythagorean mathematics to Newton's Principia, introducing the complex relationships between institutions, beliefs and politics.

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The Origins of Modern Science is the first synthetic account of the history of science from antiquity through the Scientific Revolution in many decades. Providing readers of all backgrounds and students of all disciplines with the tools to study science like a historian, Ofer Gal covers everything from Pythagorean mathematics to Newton's Principia, through Islamic medicine, medieval architecture, global commerce and magic. Richly illustrated throughout, scientific reasoning and practices are introduced in accessible and engaging ways with an emphasis on the complex relationships between institutions, beliefs and political structures and practices. Readers gain valuable new insights into the role that science plays both in history and in the world today, placing the crucial challenges to science and technology of our time within their historical and cultural context.