In the tense religious climate of the late Renaissance (ca. 1550-1650), traditional charges of impiety directed against Aristotle carried new weight. Many turned to alternative philosophical authorities in the search for a truly pious philosophy. Another, "most pious" solution was to ground natural philosophy on a literal reading of the Bible, especially Genesis. I examine this kind of physics, often called Mosaic, or sacred, or Christian, through the example of Johann Amos Comenius and those whom he praises as predecessors in (...) his attempt to reform physics according to the "divine light" of Scripture. In analyzing the works of these authors, I conclude that what they shared most effectively was an agenda rather than a practice. They defended the single, universal truth of a "Christian philosophy" grounded in biblical literalism against the impious excesses of philosophical naturalism, on the one hand, and against the antiphilosophical attacks of extreme theologians, on the other hand. This peculiar strand of natural philosophy, neither traditional nor "modern," needs to be included in attempts to map the complex dynamics of contemporary debates and self-presentations. -/- . (shrink)

The English polymath Joseph Priestley wrote on a wide range of scientific, theological and pedagogical subjects. After the appearance of his influential Rudiments of English Grammar and A Course of Lectures on the Theory of Language and Universal Grammar, both of which are reissued in this series, Priestley produced in 1765 his Essay on a Course of Liberal Education, which is included and expanded on in this 1778 publication. Here he explains the reasons behind his decision to guide the curriculum (...) at Warrington Academy towards a greater focus on subjects with a more direct application to 'civil and active life'. He offers more general instruction on the cultivation of young men in various spheres, notably through foreign travel and developing 'knowledge of the world'. Priestley ends by outlining a suggested course of lectures on the history and laws of England. (shrink)

Censures au XVIIIe siecle, les ecrivains-philosophes des Lumieres demeurent controverses ou singes de nos jours. Cette etude privilegie leurs idees-forces sans negliger les porte-parole. Celebres (Bayle, Montesquieu, Voltaire, Rousseau, Diderot, Helvetius, d'Holbach...) ou reconnus (d'Argens, Mably, Mirabeau, d'Alembert, Volney, Mme de Stael...) ils n'enferment point leur oeuvre dans le moule d'une pensee unique. Ne parlant jamais d'une seule voix, tous associent l'invention de la liberte et l'idee neuve de bonheur. La Mettrie, materialiste medecin des ames, ecrit en precurseur de Freud. (...) Immoraliste visionnaire, Sade anticipe les derives d'une philosophie deshumanisee. Les debats seculaires avec les apologistes (Abbadie, Barruel, Bergier, Gerard, Holland, Vernes...) elaborent les fondements universels d'une morale non confessionnelle. Du refus des dogmes et de tout esprit de systeme nait une ethique transcendant les revelations. (shrink)

Apr s la 'crise de conscience europ enne' (1680-1715), la question de l'id al p dagogique r v le les transformations de la soci t fran aise dont elle est aussi un acteur. Les besoins de la soci t, les forces religieuses, l' volution de la pens e scientifique s'y croisent pour un mouvement d'accommodation qui fait toute la richesse de la pens e du dix-huiti me si cle. C'est l'objet de cet ouvrage que de chercher a montrer ce mouvement (...) et cette richesse de la pens e p dagogique sous Louis XV et Louis XVI (avant la R volution), alors que la formation des enfants se trouve tre le lieu de convergence de quelques grandes questions que dut affronter la monarchie: la place des 'arts utiles', des 'm tiers m caniques' dans la soci t, le r le de l'Eglise dans la vie du royaume, l'int gration de d marches intellectuelles nouvelles, qui provoquent des conflits avec la pens e chr tienne et qui remettent en cause les sources de la p dagogie, la philosophie de l'entendement et donc des savoirs, connaissances et qualit s souhait es chez les enfants et jeunes gens du peuple et des lites. Pour r aliser ce travail, nous nous sommes appuy s sur la tr s abondante litt rature p dagogique du si cle tout en suivant la r alit du d bat p dagogique dans quelques journaux pour en saisir le mouvement et les nombreuses implications. La production g n rale d' crits sur l' ducation est prolif rante; nous avons retenu ceux qui posaient la question ducative, dans l'axe de notre sujet, en veillant ce que les genres litt raires soient vari s comme l'exigeait le th me de notre tude. Le lecteur trouvera dans cet ouvrage la litt rature p dagogique du si cle, m me peut connue, en particulier celle des obscurs praticiens des coles, des coll ges et des maisons d' ducation qui ont beaucoup crit. D'autre part, les questions p dagogiques passionnaient les Fran ais, elles sont r guli rement trait es dans Le Mercure de France, le Journal de Verdun, et les Affiches de province. Le plan suivi est chronologique pour mettre en relief les changements op res au cours du si cle, selon l'importance accordee - ou non - aux sources chr tiennes de l' ducation, la s v re mise en cause des coll ges accuses de pratiques 'gothiques', l'introduction des mod les nouveaux de la science fondes sur l'observation et l'exp rience, l' volution de la philosophie de la connaissance, selon aussi la pression de la soci t civile exigeante en ce qui concerne le bonheur, la morale, l'utilit publique de l' ducation pour les besoins de la nation. (shrink)

Natural philosophy encompassed all natural phenomena of the physical world. It sought to discover the physical causes of all natural effects and was little concerned with mathematics. By contrast, the exact mathematical sciences were narrowly confined to various computations that did not involve physical causes, functioning totally independently of natural philosophy. Although this began slowly to change in the late Middle Ages, a much more thoroughgoing union of natural philosophy and mathematics occurred in the seventeenth century and thereby made the (...) Scientific Revolution possible. The title of Isaac Newton's great work, The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy, perfectly reflects the new relationship. Natural philosophy became the 'Great Mother of the Sciences', which by the nineteenth century had nourished the manifold chemical, physical, and biological sciences to maturity, thus enabling them to leave the 'Great Mother' and emerge as the multiplicity of independent sciences we know today. (shrink)

History, Philosophy and Science Teaching argues that science teaching and science teacher education can be improved if teachers know something of the history and philosophy of science and if these topics are included in the science curriculum. The history and philosophy of science have important roles in many of the theoretical issues that science educators need to address: the goals of science education; what constitutes an appropriate science curriculum for all students; how science should be taught in traditional cultures; what (...) integrated science is; how scientific literacy can be promoted; and the conflict which can occur between science curriculum and deep-seated religious or cultural values and knowledge. In part, answers to these questions hinge on views about the nature of science, views that are best informed by historical and philosophical study. Outlining the history of liberal, or contextual, approaches to the teaching of science, Michael Matthews elaborates contemporary curriculum developments that explicitly address questions about the nature and the history of science. He provides examples of classroom teaching and develops useful arguments on constructivism, multicultural science education and teacher education. The book will appeal to school and university science teachers, educators of science teachers, and historians and philosophers of science. (shrink)

A scholarly edition of The Clarendon Edition of the Works of John Locke: Some Thoughts Concerning Education by John W. Yolton and Jean S. Yolton. The edition presents an authoritative text, together with an introduction, commentary notes, and scholarly apparatus.

New Atlantis is an incomplete utopian novel by Sir Francis Bacon, published in 1627. In this work, Bacon portrayed a vision of the future of human discovery and knowledge, expressing his aspirations and ideals for humankind. The novel depicts the creation of a utopian land where "generosity and enlightenment, dignity and splendor, piety and public spirit" are the commonly held qualities of the inhabitants of the mythical Bensalem. The plan and organization of his ideal college, Salomon's House (or Solomon's House), (...) envisioned the modern research university in both applied and pure sciences. (shrink)