The Scientific Revolutions of the 16th and 17th Centuries
12 September 2005 - 14 December 2005Aims
The "Centro di Ricerca Matematica Ennio De Giorgi" is organizing a period of three months of intensive studies on this crucial period, addressing it especially to young researchers. The program will be articulated in a series of short courses and thematic workshops.
Research Directions
Modern science is usually considered to have started in the sixteenth century: from then on mathematics, physics and astronomy have taken up a new form; the image of the world and of nature - from cosmos to the human body - have undergone a radical and definitive change, starting a process that is stil going on. The programme will be articulated in a series of short courses and thematic workshops. Among the topics to be covered are:
1. the origin of mechanics: classical and medieval traditions and the birth of Galilean "new science" 2. revolutions in astronomy: Copernicus, Brahe, Galileo and others 3. the birth of symbolic algebra and the impact of the classic tradition: the rediscovery of Pappus, Diophantus and the work of Francois Viete 4. the theory of indivisibles: from Valerio and Cavalieri to Leibniz 5. science and arts: new images for a new science 6. war and the new science 7. from the discovery of the human body to the birth of a new medicine.
In addition talks and debates will be held on the relationship between science and culture in the 16th and 17th century.
Plan of activities:
Intensive courses on: Ars Analytica: the Beginnings of a New Geometry 12-17 September 2005 Lectures by: Alexander Jones, University of Toronto Jean Dhombres, CNRS
Ars Analytica: the Beginnings of a New Geometry 16-17 September 2005 workshop Fabio Acerbi, Liceo 'L. Magrini' - Gemona Aldo Brigaglia, Università di Palermo Jean Dhombres, CNRS Paolo Freguglia, Università dell'Aquila Antonio Garibaldi, Università di Genova Alexander Jones, University of Toronto Marco Panza, Universitat Pompeu Fabra Roshdi Rashed, Université Paris 7 Ken Saito, Osaka University Jacqueline Stedall, Oxford
Intensive courses on: Les débuts modernes des mathématiques: d'al-Khwarizmi à Descartes Lectures by: Roshdi Rashed, Université Paris 7
Prof. Rashed's lectures will take place on September 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 29, 30, from 10 to 12 am. Further activities can be organized in the afternoons.
Intensive courses on: Indivisibles: from the Archimedean Tradition to the birth of Differential calculus 17-22 October 2005 Lectures by: Pier Daniele Napolitani, Università di Pisa Enrico Giusti, Università di Firenze
Indivisibles: from the Archimedean Tradition to the birth of Differential calculus 21-22 October 2005 workshop François de Gandt, Université de Lille III Jean Dhombres, Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales Enrico Giusti, Università di Firenze Vincent Jullien, Université de Brest Eberhard Knobloch, Technische Universität Berlin Antoni Malet, Universitat Pompeu Fabra Pier Daniele Napolitani, Università di Pisa Patricia Radelet-de Grave, Université Catholique de Louvain
Images of man – Images of Nature 4-6 November 2005 workshop Domenico Bertoloni Meli, Indiana University Filippo Camerota, Istituto e Museo di storia della scienza - Firenze Anita Guerrini, University of California Jeanne Peiffer, CNRS Lucia Tongiorgi, Università di Pisa Alessandro Tosi, Università di Pisa
Intensive courses on: Mechanics in Sixteenth and Seventeenth Centuries Europe: from the Archimedes’s Lever to the Huygens’s Pendulum 22 November - 1 December 2005 Lectures by: W. Roy Laird, Carleton University Patricia Radelet-de Grave, Université Catholique de Louvain
Mechanics in 17th and 18th C Europe: from Archimedes' Lever to Huygens' Pendulum 25 - 26 November 2005 workshop Michele Camerota, Università di Cagliari Egidio Festa, Centre Alexandre Koyré, Paris Romano Gatto, Università degli Studi della Basilicata Niccolò Guicciardini, Università di Siena Gianni Micheli, Università di Milano Mario O. Helbing, ETH Zürich W. Roy Laird, Carleton University Cesare Maffioli, Dibner Institute Pier Daniele Napolitani, Università di Pisa Patricia Radelet-de Grave, Université Catholique de Louvain
Astronomy 5-9 December 2005 workshop Massimo Bucciantini, Università di Siena Michele Camerota, Università di Cagliari Stefano Gattei, Università di Pisa Carlo Maccagni, Università di Genova Carla Rita Palmerino, University of Nijmegen Isabelle Pantin, Université de Paris X - Nanterre Michael H. Shank, University of Wisconsin at Madison Giancarlo Truffa
Nuove terre, nuovi ciel, nuovi mondi.... 12-14 December 2005 workshop Andrea Battistini, Università di Bologna Mario Biagioli, Harvard University Paul Richard Blum, Loyola College in Maryland Antonio Clericuzio, Università di Cassino