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Preface

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 October 2009

Margaret J. Osler
Affiliation:
University of Calgary
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Summary

The most satisfying tribute a scholar can receive is serious consideration of his or her work by other scholars. When Betty Jo Teeter Dobbs died suddenly and prematurely on March 29, 1994, 1 decided to invite a number of her colleagues, students, and friends to contribute papers to a volume in memory of her scholarly interests and the impact of her work. Dobbs's groundbreaking studies of the meaning of Newton's alchemy irrevocably altered our understanding of the Scientific Revolution and early modern natural philosophy. The scholarship of her associates reflects this impact – in spirit as well as detail. This volume stands as a tribute to her contributions.

Dobbs herself articulated some of the far-reaching ramifications of her work on Newton in her History of Science Society Distinguished Lecture, “Newton as Final Cause and First Mover,” in which she challenged the received understanding of the Scientific Revolution. This essay, which was originally published in Isis, opens the volume and sets the themes for the chapters that follow. Richard S. Westfall contributed an essay that went head-to-head with Dobbs's and which provides an eloquent defense of the utility – indeed necessity – of thinking in traditional terms about the Scientific Revolution. The debate between these two giants about the central concept in our field provides the broader context for the chapters in the volume. Subsequent events altered the direction of the volume after it was well underway. Westfall's sudden death on August 21, 1996, reinforced my decision to construct the volume in terms of their debate and, at the same time, to honor Westfall's memory along with Dobbs's.

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Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2000

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  • Preface
  • Edited by Margaret J. Osler, University of Calgary
  • Book: Rethinking the Scientific Revolution
  • Online publication: 25 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511529276.001
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  • Preface
  • Edited by Margaret J. Osler, University of Calgary
  • Book: Rethinking the Scientific Revolution
  • Online publication: 25 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511529276.001
Available formats
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Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Preface
  • Edited by Margaret J. Osler, University of Calgary
  • Book: Rethinking the Scientific Revolution
  • Online publication: 25 October 2009
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511529276.001
Available formats
×