Exploring the Limits of Preclassical Mechanics

The question of when and how the point of view that characterizes modern science arose in Western Europe is one that has long intrigued people interested in the history of ideas. This book examines the transition from the Renaissance to the modern point of view for one particular, but important subject: mechanics, that is, the history of motion. Descartes, Galileo, and others struggled with the idea, but it was Galileo who formulated the laws in what we recognize as the modern way. The authors of the book suggest that this was not a continuous change nor an abrupt revolution, but the result of stretching the existing conceptual system to its limits. This monograph on history of science, history of mathematics and philosophy of science is intended for students and researchers in history of science.