1.18 Elizabeth Eisenstein Part 4: Printing and Science (Mostly Astronomy)

May 19, 2021

Explore the transformative power of the printing press during the Renaissance, which revolutionized scientific thought and astronomy. Delve into the historical shift from Ptolemy to Copernicus, revealing how printed texts democratized knowledge. Examine the unique challenges early Christians faced in calculating Easter and the differences between Christian and Islamic calendars. Discover how figures like Galileo and Newton navigated the complex interplay of science and politics, all while highlighting the printing press's crucial role in shaping modern scientific discourse.

50:46

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Episode notes

Intro

00:00 • 6min

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Revolutionizing Astronomy: From Ptolemy to Copernicus

06:23 • 11min

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The Intersection of Astronomy, Calendars, and Religious Authority

17:05 • 3min

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The Printing Press: Catalyst for Scientific Revolution

19:36 • 11min

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The Impact of Printing on Early Modern Astronomy

30:48 • 12min

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Galileo to Newton: The Science-Politics Nexus

42:27 • 8min

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#1105

• Mentioned in 25 episodes

Principia mathematica

Alfred North Whitehead

Bertrand Russell

#8915

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The Gutenberg galaxy

Marshall McLuhan

In 'The Gutenberg Galaxy,' Marshall McLuhan examines the profound impact of print technology on human culture and consciousness. He argues that the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg marked a significant shift from oral to print culture, leading to a visual dominance in communication and a redefinition of the collective human psyche. McLuhan explores how this technological change influenced the emergence of individualism, the concept of 'nations,' and the eventual transition to a 'global village' in the electronic age. The book is a seminal work in media theory, highlighting the role of media in shaping human experiences and societal structures.

#17478

• Mentioned in 2 episodes

Almagest

Mathematical Treatise

Claudius Ptolemy

The Almagest, by Claudius Ptolemy, is a comprehensive treatise on astronomy that presented a geocentric model of the universe and served as the authoritative astronomical text for over 1400 years.

Unknown Book by François Rabelais

François Rabelais

Unknown Book by Tycho Brahe

Tycho Brahe

Unknown Book by Jacob Burkhart

Jacob Burkhart

Galileo and his precursors

None

Ernest Moody

Ernest Moody's "Galileo and his precursors" delves into the historical development of the theory of motion, tracing its evolution from medieval physics to Galileo's contributions.

Unknown Book by Emmanuel Bonfise

Emmanuel Bonfise

Unknown Book by René Descartes

Rene Descartes

Unknown Book by Regiomontanus

Regiomontanus

De Sfera Mundi

On the Sphere of the World

Johannes de Sacrobosco

De Sfera Mundi, by Johannes de Sacrobosco, is a 13th-century astronomical text that presented a geocentric model of the universe, building upon the work of Ptolemy and incorporating elements of Islamic astronomy.

Epitome astronomiae copernicanae

& Harmonies of the world

Johannes Kepler

De humani corporis fabrica

On the Fabric of the Human Body

Andreas Vesalius

De humani corporis fabrica, by Andreas Vesalius, is a landmark work in anatomy that corrected many errors in Galen's anatomical descriptions and provided detailed illustrations of the human body.

Unknown Book by Campanus of Novara

Campanus of Novara

De revolutionibus orbium coelestium

Nicolaus Copernicus

De Revolutionibus Orbium Coelestium, by Nicolaus Copernicus, is a landmark work in astronomy that presented a heliocentric model of the solar system, placing the sun at the center instead of the Earth.

#3351

• Mentioned in 10 episodes

Dialogue concerning the two chief world systems

Ptolemaic and Copernican

Galileo

Galileo Galilei's "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" presented arguments for the heliocentric model of the solar system, leading to conflict with the Church and his house arrest.

#8952

• Mentioned in 4 episodes

The Printing Press as an Agent of Change

Elizabeth Eisenstein

Elizabeth Eisenstein's "The Printing Press as an Agent of Change" is a seminal work that explores the transformative impact of the printing press on various aspects of society, including science, religion, and culture.

Unknown Book by Edmund Halley

Edmund Halley

“One wrong word may now kill thousands of men”.

-Rabelais

“If science helped give birth to the printed book, it was clearly the printed book that sent science from its medieval habits straight into the boiling scientific revolution.”

-Derek J. de Solla Price, 1967

“By seeming paradox, their most sacred festival kept Christian energies bent toward puzzle-solving of a purely scientific kind...Until the advent of printing, scientific inquiries about ‘how the heavens go’ went hand-in-hand with religious concerns about ‘how to go to heaven.’”

-Elizabeth Eisenstein

“One cannot treat printing as just one among many elements in a complex causal nexus itself. It is of special historical significance because it produced fundamental alterations in prevailing patterns of continuity and change...It made the words of God appear more multiform and His handiwork more uniform. The printing press laid the basis for both literal fundamentalism and for modern science. It remains indispensable for humanistic scholarship. It is still responsible for our museum-without-walls.”

-Elizabeth Eisenstein

Sources: https://old.reddit.com/r/DilettanteryPodcast/comments/ng0p4s/118_elizabeth_eisenstein_part_4_printing_and/?

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