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Isis Volume 46 Issue 1 1955 (Doi 10.2307/226834) Review by - Marshall Clagett - Robert Grosseteste and The Origins of Experimental Science 1100-1700by A. C. Crombie PDF
Isis Volume 46 Issue 1 1955 (Doi 10.2307/226834) Review by - Marshall Clagett - Robert Grosseteste and The Origins of Experimental Science 1100-1700by A. C. Crombie PDF
Crombie
Review by: Marshall Clagett
Isis, Vol. 46, No. 1 (Mar., 1955), pp. 66-69
Published by: The University of Chicago Press on behalf of The History of Science Society
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/226834 .
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66
BOOK REVIEWS
AUBREYDILLER
BOOK REVIEWS
67
68
BOOK REVIEWS
BOOK REVIEWS
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phenomenaand thus would be certified. I Books of the Western World, vol. i6.)
mustconfessthatthe examplesof howGrosse- Chicago: Encyclopedia Brittanica, Inc.,
teste actually used his methods as reported 1952.
by Crombieappearto me to be much more
The followingis a sample of misleading
inept science than the best of Greek and errrors:
medieval science. The actual so-called exp. 745, 1. 20: 62023' for 68023'
perimentingfor the most part turnsout to be
p. 748, 1. 27 and 3I: 227037' for 277037'
largely passive observations.
p. 756, 1. io: May for March
Grosseteste's views on the relation of
p. 756, last L: 44012' for 440II
of
considerable
are
physics
and
mathematics
p. 757, .-8: 5045' for 5?55'
interest. He was basically Aristotelian in
p. 759, L-26: KEO for KED
holding mathematicsto be an instrument p. 76o, 1. 22: GER for GES
p. 768, ch. I5, 1. 6: 84020' for 74020'
which can be used to describeevents in the
physical world. He was assured,moreover, p. 770, 1. i6: 47050' for 670501
p. 77I, h. I6, 1. I0: 183020' for 133020'
that the causeshe soughtin physicalscience
p. 77I, ch. I6,1. i6: 80?I8' for 700I8'
are not themselvesmathematical,but rather
p. 772,1.13: DE for DF
are physical. Crombiepresents, still under
p. 778, L 20: Januaryfor June
the head of mathematicalphysics, Grosse: 45047j' for 450571'
P. 780,1.
p. 78I, ch. 23, 1.4: "the eight (sic) month"
teste's "light metaphysics."While it is true
not in text and wrong
that Grosseteste'slight metaphysicsturned
his study to mathematicaloptics, much of
Incorrectfigures (sample):
which is experimentallyverifiable,I would
hesitate to say with Crombiethat Grossep. 742: H omitted
p. 749: line DC wrong; the idea of the proof
teste's light metaphysicswas thereby made
requires that EDC be on a straight
verifiable(p. io6). Suchveriexperimentally
line
opfication that experimental-mathematical
p. 780: F and line GD omitted
tics broughtlight metaphysicswas solely in
p. 78I: lines ED and FG omitted
terms of gross analogiesbetweenthe experip. 787: point C incorrectlyplaced
mentallyverifiablelaws of light propagation p. 788: point D incorrectlyplaced; line CH
wrong (should be FH)
and Grosseteste'scurious ideas of the role
p. 790: line EF omitted
The
form.
corporeal
as
a
of
lux
in nature
details of his metaphysicalsystem were, I
The translationis supposedlybased "on
believe, in no way "verifiable"by experi- the first edition" (p. 493), which would be
mental optics. Be that as it may, this whole Nuremberg 1543. I found, however, many
discussionleads Crombieto a most fertilein- instances where the translation follows the
vestigationof opticsin the middleages.
text which is exclusively given (correctly as
While I have tendedin this reviewto em- well as incorrectly) in the Thorn edition
phasizepoints of disagreementwith the au- (i873). The translation is also not trustthor let me assurethe readerthat this is one worthy in other details. Examples: p. 794,
of the most stimulatingand carefully pre- we read "the simple mean position of the
pared studies in medieval science that has sun was at 149048' from the spring equinox
come forth in some time. Nowhereelse do but in 26047' of Virgo, wherein the position
we have so muchmaterialassembledfor the of Mercury was approximately I3Y20." Mr.
study of medieval scientific methodology. Wallis obviously did not understand the
Finalnote shouldbe madeof the richbibliog- method of counting longitudes employed by
raphy appendedto this volume, which de- Copernicus. The text really says "the mean
serves commendationfor its completeness. position of the sun was at I49048' but,
MARSHALLCLAGETT (counted) from the spring equinoX, 26047'
Universityof Wisconsin