Copernicus' Secret: How the Scientific Revolution Began
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.63 (665 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0743289528 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 256 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2018-02-01 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Nicolaus Copernicus gave the world perhaps the most important scientific insight of the modern age, the theory that the earth and the other planets revolve around the sun. A cleric who lived during the tumultuous years of the early Reformation, he may have been sympathetic to the teachings of the Lutherans. It fact, he kept his astronomical work a secret, revealing it to only a few intimates, and the manuscript containing his revolutionary theory, which he refined for at least twenty years, remained "hidden among my things." It is unlikely that Copernicus' masterwork would ever have been published if not for a young mathematics professor named Georg Joachim Rheticus. Although he had taken a vow of celibacy, he kept at least one mistress. Rheticus' meeting with Copernicus in a small cathedral town in northern Poland proved to be one of the most important encounters in history. Supremely confident intellectually, he hesitated to disseminate his work among other scholars. One of the transcendent geniuses of the early Renaissance, Copernicus was also a flawed and conflicted person. Copernicus' Secret recreates the life and world of the scientific genius whose work revolutionized astronomy and altered our understanding of our place in the world. It tells
Jack Repcheck is an editor at W. His previous book was the critically acclaimed The Man Who Found Time: James Hutton and the Discovery of the Earth's Antiquity. He lives with his family in Bucks County, Pennsylvania. Norton & Co., where he publishes the work of leading scientists and economists. . W
The author also does an admirable job of shining a light on Copernicus's little-known immediate predecessors to show that, like the works of Einstein and Darwin, the scientist's theory didn't spring Athena-like from his brow" -- Publishers Weekly"ExcellentRepcheck is especially good at setting Copernicus vividly in his time." -- NY Sun"No other biography of which I am aware treats the life of this scientific giant more vividly than this one." -- New York Times Book Review. "Repcheck paints a vivid picture of the times, in which both Protestantism and intellectual inquiry posed threats to the Catholic worldview
The Beginning of the Enlightenment Fascinating tale of the personal and societal aspects of the development of the seminal concepts that altered our view of the universe. I found some of the historical issues, such as the latinization of names (Copernicus was actually Kopernik), the early factors involved in scientific publication and the interaction with religion, particularly intriguing. New to me and perhaps most interesting was the role of an eager young chap,Rheticus,in goading Copernicus to finish his manuscript and submit it for publication. Without his intervention, the rel. Timothy Haugh said Serviceable Biography. When it comes right down to it, this isn't a bad book. As a biography it is quite serviceable, brief and easy to read. Mr. Repcheck covers what is known about Copernicus' life and gives good attention to those years near the end of his life when De Revolutionibus was finally published; mainly through the prodding and effort of others. He also makes effective use of the letters of Copernicus and some of his correspondents. Use of primary source material always adds to a biography.On the other hand, this book isn't anything special. The title, Coper. intro to Copernicus Stephen Harlen a book for the average non-technical reader like me. Good overview of how the idea that the sun, not the earth, is the center of our universe and how unsettling that was