On Earth as in Heaven

One of the key moments of the Scientific Revolution
was the
transformation in the understanding of the earth s
form. The
world as we now understand it spherical and mostly
rock with
shallow oceans was novel and controversial. Most
scholars around
1500 believed the world was mostly ocean with a small
sphere of land
floating in it like a bobbing apple. Crucial to the
work of key thinkers
such as Copernicus, Galileo and Descartes, the new
theory of the earth
had important implications for astronomy and the
universe as a whole.
Remarkably, the importance of this dramatic change in
concepts of the
earth has been overlooked by historians, as has the
vibrant scientific
field in which the developments both of geography and
astronomy took
place: cosmography. This book restores the period s
changing ideas
about the earth and its continents, and still more
importantly
cosmography, into the centre of the Scientific
Revolution.

Autorentext

Jacqueline Biro is a senior policy analyst for the Australianstate government, with recent roles in urban water, health and natural resources. Inaddition to her graduate work in history and philosophy of science she holdsqualifications in political economy and communications.

Klappentext

One of the key moments of the Scientific Revolutionwas the transformation in the understanding of the earth'sform. The world as we now understand it-spherical and mostlyrock withshallow oceans-was novel and controversial. Mostscholars around1500 believed the world was mostly ocean with a smallsphere of land floating in it like a bobbing apple. Crucial to thework of key thinkers such as Copernicus, Galileo and Descartes, the newtheory of the earth had important implications for astronomy and theuniverse as a whole. Remarkably, the importance of this dramatic change inconcepts of the earth has been overlooked by historians, as has thevibrant scientific field in which the developments both of geography andastronomy took place: cosmography. This book restores the period'schanging ideas about the earth and its continents, and still moreimportantly cosmography, into the centre of the ScientificRevolution.