自然哲學史：從古代世界到十九世紀

1、 P1: KAE 0521869315pre CUFX042/Grant 0 521 86931 5 Printer: cupusbw December 4, 2006 15:45A History of Natural PhilosophyNatural philosophy encompassed all natural phenomena of the physical world. It sought to discover

2、the physical causes of all natural effects and was little con- cerned with mathematics. By contrast, the exact mathematical sciences – such as astronomy, optics, and mechanics – were narrowly confined to various compu- t

3、ations that did not involve physical causes. Natural philosophy and the exact sciences functioned independently of each other. Although this began slowly to change in the late Middle Ages, a much more thoroughgoing union

4、 of natural philosophy and mathematics occurred in the seventeenth century and thereby made the Scientific Revolution possible. The title of Isaac Newton’s great work, The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, p

5、erfectly reflects the new relationship. Natural philosophy became the “Great Mother of the Sciences,” which by the nineteenth century had nourished the manifold chemical, physi- cal, and biological sciences to maturity,

6、thus enabling them to leave the “Great Mother” and emerge as the multiplicity of independent sciences we know today.Edward Grant is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of the History and Philosophy of Science at Indiana Uni

7、versity, Bloomington. He is the author or editor of twelve books, one of which has been translated into eleven languages and one into three languages. He is also the author of approximately ninety articles on the history