Inhoudsopgave:
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The mechanical philosophy first emerged as a leading player on the intellectual scene in the early modern period\u0026#8212;seeking to explain all natural phenomena through the physics of matter and motion\u0026#8212;and the term \u0026lt;i\u0026gt;mechanism\u0026lt;/i\u0026gt; was coined. Over time, natural phenomena came to be understood through machine analogies and explanations and the very word \u0026lt;i\u0026gt;mechanism\u0026lt;/i\u0026gt;, a suggestive and ambiguous expression, took on a host of different meanings. Emphasizing the important role of key ancient and early modern protagonists, from Galen to Robert Boyle, this book offers a historical investigation of the term mechanism from the late Renaissance to the end of the seventeenth century, at a time when it was used rather frequently in complex debates about the nature of the notion of the soul. In this rich and detailed study, Domenico Bertoloni Meli\u0026lt;i\u0026gt;\u0026lt;/i\u0026gt;focuses on strategies for discussing the notion of mechanism in historically sensitive ways; the relation between mechanism, visual representation, and anatomy; the usage and meaning of the term in early modern times; and Marcello Malpighi and the problems of fecundation and generation, among the most challenging topics to investigate from a mechanistic standpoint. |
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