Overview
- Examines the optical works of Giambattista Della Porta, a natural philosopher during the Scientific Revolution
- Explores the science and technology of early modern optics
- Features an in-depth analysis of previously untranslated Latin sources
Part of the book series: Archimedes (ARIM, volume 44)
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Table of contents (9 chapters)
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Front Matter
Keywords
About this book
This volume contains essays that examine the optical works of Giambattista Della Porta, an Italian natural philosopher during the Scientific Revolution. Coverage also explores the science and technology of early modern optics.
Della Porta's groundbreaking book, Magia Naturalis (Natural Magic), includes a prototype of the camera. Yet, because of his obsession with magic, Della Porta's scientific achievements are often forgotten. As the contributors argue, his work inspired such great minds as Johanes Kepler and Francis Bacon. After reading this book, researchers, historians, and students will have a better appreciation of this influential scientist. They will also gain a greater understanding of an important period in the history of optics.
Readers will learn about Della Porta's experimental method, a process governed by the protocols, aims, and theoretical assumptions of natural magic. Coverage also discusses the material properties and limitations of optical technology in the early 17th century, based on a recently discovered Dutch spyglass. It also demonstrates how diagrams were instrumental in the discovery of the sine law of refraction. In addition, the book includes an in-depth analysis of previously untranslated Latin sources. This makes the material useful to historians of optics unfamiliar with the language. More than 70 illustrations complement the text.Reviews
“The Optics of Giambattista Della Porta (ca. 1535–1615) is relevant to scholars interested in perennial issues arising out of classic Scientific Revolution scholarship (the mathematization of nature, the development of scientific laws, experiment versus experience, and so forth), natural magic, early modern optical technology, early modern diagrams, and epistemic images generally.” (Tawrin Baker, Isis, Vol. 110 (2), June, 2019)
Editors and Affiliations
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: The Optics of Giambattista Della Porta (ca. 1535–1615): A Reassessment
Editors: Arianna Borrelli, Giora Hon, Yaakov Zik
Series Title: Archimedes
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-50215-1
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: History, History (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer International Publishing AG 2017
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-50214-4Published: 29 March 2017
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-319-84348-3Published: 07 August 2018
eBook ISBN: 978-3-319-50215-1Published: 22 March 2017
Series ISSN: 1385-0180
Series E-ISSN: 2215-0064
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: V, 205
Number of Illustrations: 69 b/w illustrations