From the Closed World to the Infinite Universe

Alexandre Koyre was a member of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and professor at the Ecole Pratique des Hautes Etudes in Paris. His books include Discovering Plato and Newtonian Studies.

• Contents: Preface IntroductionI. The Sky and the Heavens Nicholas of Cusa and Marcellus PaligeniusII. The New Astronomy and the New Metaphysics N. Copernicus, Th. Digges, G. Bruno and W. GilbertIII. The New Astronomy against the New Metaphysics Johannes Kelper's rejection of InfinityIV. Things Never Seen Before and Thoughts Never Thought: The Discovery of New Stars in the World Space and the Materialization of Space Galileo and DescartesV. Indefinite Extension or Infinite Space Descartes and Henry MoreVI. God and Space, Spirit and Matter Henry MoreVII. Absolute Space, Absolute Time and Their Relations Malebranche, Newton and BentleyVIII. The Divinization of Space Joseph RaphsonIX. God and the World: Space, Matter, Ether and Spirit Isaac NewtonX. Absolute Space and Absolute Time: God's Frame of Action Berkeley and NewtonXI. The Work-Day God and the God of the Sabbath Newton and LeibnizXII. Conclusion: The Divine Artifex and the Dieu FaineantNotes Index

An important contribution to the problem of the transition from the world view characteristic of the medieval centuries to that which rapidly gained acceptance after the seventeenth century. Philosophical Quarterly Koyre has provided the material and has illuminated it with uniformly perceptive and occasionally brilliant commentary... An important contribution to the study of 17th-century thought. -- Thomas S. Kuhn Science A model of scholarliness without pedantry, of clarity without oversimplification. -- Arthur Koestler Encounter Surely a work that will be welcomed alike by the scientist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Philosophy and Phenomenological Research