When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Princeton Legacy Library: Instruments and the Imagination by Robert J. Silverman
- Item No : 396238684318
- Condition : Like New
- Brand : No brand Info
- Seller : friendsscls
- Current Bid : US $10.00
-
* Item Description
- Thomas Hankins and Robert Silverman investigate an array of
instruments from the seventeenth through the nineteenth century that
seem at first to be marginal to science--magnetic clocks that were said
to operate by the movements of sunflower seeds, magic lanterns, ocular
harpsichords (machines that played different colored lights in
harmonious mixtures), Aeolian harps (a form of wind chime), and other
instruments of "natural magic" designed to produce wondrous effects. By
looking at these and the first recording instruments, the stereoscope,
and speaking machines, the authors show that "scientific instruments"
first made their appearance as devices used to evoke wonder in the
beholder, as in works of magic and the theater.
The authors also demonstrate that these instruments, even though they were often "tricks," were seen by their inventors as more than trickery. In the view of Athanasius Kircher, for instance, the sunflower clock was not merely a hoax, but an effort to demonstrate, however fraudulently, his truly held belief that the ability of a flower to follow the sun was due to the same cosmic magnetic influence as that which moved the planets and caused the rotation of the earth. The marvels revealed in this work raise and answer questions about the connections between natural science and natural magic, the meaning of demonstration, the role of language and the senses in science, and the connections among art, music, literature, and natural science.
Originally published in 1995.
★ Recommended Products Related To This Item
♥ Best Selling Products in this category
