Kenelm Digby’s two treatises and the reception of the Galilean science of motion

Clucas, Stephen and Raylor, T.J. (2020) Kenelm Digby’s two treatises and the reception of the Galilean science of motion. Galileana: Journal of Galilean Studies 17 , pp. 91-116. ISSN 1825-3903.

Abstract

The reception of and reaction to Galileo’s science of motion stimulated by the Minim friar, Marin Mersenne, in the early 1640s has been the subject of some discussion in recent years. Largely absent from that discussion have been the several English philosophers associated with Mersenne at that time: Thomas Hobbes, Thomas White, and Sir Kenelm Digby. This article examines the reception of Galileo’s science of motion in Digby’s major work, the Two Treatises, published at Paris in 1644. The article demonstrates Digby’s engagement with the critical response to Galileo’s thinking about motion in the work of his friend, Thomas White. It also shows, through examination of the holograph manuscript of the Two Treatises, the late revisions Digby made to the work after his arrival in Paris and his encounter with the Galilean experiments of Mersenne.

Metadata

Statistics

DownloadsShow export options

Export as XMLJSONCSV

Activity Overview

6 month trend

128Downloads

6 month trend

195Hits

Additional statistics are available via IRStats2.

Archive Staff Only (login required)

Edit/View Item