The Scientific Revolution and the Foundations of Modern Science explains how the pursuit of natural philosophy - as science was then called - from about 1500 to 1700 created the foundation upon which modern science has been built. The profound changes in the study of the natural world in this period was made possible by social and cultural changes occurring in Western Europe, and the achievements of men like Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Frances Bacon, Rene Descartes, William Harvey, and Isaac Newton. This book details their ideas and practices, as well as those of others, the concepts they overcame, and the nature of the institutions within which they worked.

Designed as an introduction to the age of the scientific revolution, this book offers readers and researchers an appealing mix of narrative chapters, biographical sketches of key figures, and annotated primary documents. An overview of the period introduces the topic, and is followed by chapters on Astronomy and the Cosmos; Matter, Motion and the Cosmos; The Nature of Living Things; New Methods for the Advancement of Knowledge; Religion and Natural Philosophy; and the Influence of the Scientific Revolution. A glossary of terms is offered, and the work concludes with an annotated bibliography and index.