The Fall of Man and the Foundations of Science

AvPeter Harrison

Häftad, Engelska, 2009

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Beskrivning

Peter Harrison provides an account of the religious foundations of scientific knowledge. He shows how the approaches to the study of nature that emerged in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries were directly informed by theological discussions about the Fall of Man and the extent to which the mind and the senses had been damaged by that primeval event. Scientific methods, he suggests, were originally devised as techniques for ameliorating the cognitive damage wrought by human sin. At its inception, modern science was conceptualized as a means of recapturing the knowledge of nature that Adam had once possessed. Contrary to a widespread view that sees science emerging in conflict with religion, Harrison argues that theological considerations were of vital importance in the framing of the scientific method.

Produktinformation

Utgivningsdatum:2009-07-30
Mått:152 x 229 x 18 mm
Vikt:470 g
Format:Häftad
Språk:Engelska
Antal sidor:316
Förlag:Cambridge University Press
ISBN:9780521117296

Utforska kategorier

Kristendom inom Filosofi och religion

Recensioner i media

'Peter Harrison assembles mountains of evidence in support of his thesis that early modern debates about the acquisition of knowledge were dominated by the Augustinian belief that the 'fall' of Adam in the Garden of Eden not only deprived Adam's mind and senses of their original perfection, but also led to the loss of intellectual capacity in all of humanity. The promotion and practice of experimental science, he argues, were meant to counter these epistemological effects of original sin. This is a brilliantly written and persuasively argued book, which will be required reading for anybody interested in the influence of religion on early modern scientific method and epistemology.' David C. Lindberg, University of Wisconsin

Innehållsförteckning

Acknowledgements; List of abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Adam's Encyclopaedia; 2. Augustine revived; 3. Seeking certainty in a fallen world; 4. Dethroning the idols; 5. The instauration of learning; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.