Natural philosophy on retrieving a lost disciplinary imaginary / Alister E. McGrath.
| Author/creator | McGrath, Alister E., 1953 |
| Other author | Oxford University Press. |
| Format | Electronic |
| Edition | First edition. |
| Publication Info | Oxford, United Kingdom ; New York, NY, United States of America : Oxford University Press, 2023. |
| Description | viii, 248 pages ; 24 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Full text available from Oxford Scholarship Online |
| Subjects |
| Contents | Introduction: on retrieving natural philosophy -- A critical conversation with the tradition. The origins of natural philosophy: Aristotle -- The consolidation of natural philosophy: the Middle Ages -- Skywatching: the natural philosophy of Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo -- English natural philosophy: Bacon, Boyle, and Newton -- The parting of the ways: from natural philosophy to natural science -- A reconceived natural philosophy: exploring a disciplinary imaginary. Reconceiving natural philosophy: laying the foundations -- Theory: the contemplation of nature -- Objectivity: understanding the external world -- Subjectivity: an affective engagement with nature -- Natural philosophy: recasting a vision. |
| Abstract | "In the seventeenth century, natural philosophy was seen as an integrated enterprise, embracing what are now seen as separate disciplines, such as philosophy, the natural sciences, mathematics, and theology. Although often portrayed as a now redundant precursor of the natural sciences, natural philosophy was far more than this, enfolding the two quite different notions of learning about and learning from nature. This book argues for the retrieval of the 'disciplinary imaginary' of natural philosophy. The first part of the work explores how this idea emerged in the writings of Aristotle, and achieved its greatest influence in the seventeenth century. It offers a critical conversation with leading representatives of the movement--such as Johann Kepler, Robert Boyle, and Isaac Newton--to clarify its scope and significance, as well as identifying the factors causing the decline of the movement in the nineteenth century. The second part of the book sets out a comprehensive account of how natural philosophy can be retrieved and reimagined. Drawing on recent discussions of progress in philosophy, it argues that a retrieved natural philosophy can hold together both the objective and subjective aspects of the human engagement with the natural world. Using Mary Midgley's approach to safeguarding the complexity of nature and Karl Popper's model of the 'three worlds' of human knowledge--objective, subjective, and theoretical--the book offers a comprehensive vision of the scope of a revitalized natural philosophy, and the benefits this brings to the human understanding and appreciation of nature"--Publisher's description. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 185-243) and index. |
| Access restriction | Available only to authorized users. |
| Technical details | Mode of access: World Wide Web |
| Genre/form | Electronic books. |
| LCCN | 2022936280 |
| ISBN | 9780192865731 (hardback) |
| ISBN | 0192865730 (hardback) |
Availability
| Library | Location | Call Number | Status | Item Actions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Electronic Resources | Access Content Online | ✔ Available |