Scientists who changed the direction of the world
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Description
Book Introduction
A new language to describe the world,
The people who wrote that first sentence
This book shows how our current worldview, which we call 'common sense', was formed.
Copernicus, who discovered that the Earth is not the center of the universe; Tycho Brahe, who obsessively observed celestial bodies; Kepler, who discovered order in orbits; Galileo, who looked at the sky with a telescope; Descartes, who explained the universe through the language of philosophy and mathematics; Newton, who connected the universe with universal gravitation—they all tried to see the world differently rather than as it is.
Modern science began with their curiosity and passion.
And the world we know today began with their questions.
The people who wrote that first sentence
This book shows how our current worldview, which we call 'common sense', was formed.
Copernicus, who discovered that the Earth is not the center of the universe; Tycho Brahe, who obsessively observed celestial bodies; Kepler, who discovered order in orbits; Galileo, who looked at the sky with a telescope; Descartes, who explained the universe through the language of philosophy and mathematics; Newton, who connected the universe with universal gravitation—they all tried to see the world differently rather than as it is.
Modern science began with their curiosity and passion.
And the world we know today began with their questions.
- You can preview some of the book's contents.
Preview
index
● Introduction 06
Chapter 1: Copernicus and the Motion of the Earth 09
Chapter 2: Tycho Brahe and the Early Observatories 041
Chapter 3: Kepler and the Laws of Planetary Motion 071
Chapter 4: Galileo and the Invention of the Telescope 107
Chapter 5: Galileo and the Inquisition 141
Chapter 6: Descartes' Vortex Theory 181
Chapter 7 Sir Isaac Newton 215
Chapter 8: Newton and the Law of Universal Gravitation 245
Chapter 1: Copernicus and the Motion of the Earth 09
Chapter 2: Tycho Brahe and the Early Observatories 041
Chapter 3: Kepler and the Laws of Planetary Motion 071
Chapter 4: Galileo and the Invention of the Telescope 107
Chapter 5: Galileo and the Inquisition 141
Chapter 6: Descartes' Vortex Theory 181
Chapter 7 Sir Isaac Newton 215
Chapter 8: Newton and the Law of Universal Gravitation 245
Into the book
Others were much more directly influenced by the universe around them.
At times I was overwhelmed by the mystery and grandeur of it all, and felt drawn by some force stronger than myself to explore it.
I studied it patiently, slowly but steadily, diligently.
I was content to harvest a vast body of knowledge, even if I could glean a few crumbs, and I was happy to understand even one broad general principle or one widely applicable law.
If only I could understand, even just a little, the spirit and reasoning of the being who designed this wondrous world, that would be enough.
People who fall into this last category are scientists.
--- p.13
There is absolutely no reason to believe that Copernicus was any great intellectual or figure of any kind who ever existed or who will ever appear in the near future.
He was simply a quiet, sincere, patient, and devout man, a profound researcher and an unbiased thinker.
Although he was not a man of particularly dazzling or impressive talents, he was given the mission of bringing about a revolution that would overturn the entire course of human thought.
--- p.19
His system clearly had several imperfections.
But it is about having the courage to look at the facts of nature with your own eyes, without being bound by prejudices that have been passed down for centuries.
A system, backed by long-standing authority and great names, was universally accepted and believed without question for centuries.
In an age when everyone's thinking was dominated by tradition and authority, and doubt itself was considered a sin, questioning such a system and seeking a new, better system was impossible without great intellect and high character.
This monk from Frauenburg possessed just such intelligence and character.
--- p.37~38
Humanity has long tended to scoff at and resist the truth, only to eventually accept it uncritically and unimaginatively.
As a result, we fail to appreciate the great achievements of those who first presented that truth, and the difficulties they had to overcome.
--- p.44
He began to speculate about the causes of planetary motion.
The traditional idea in ancient times was that the planets were orbited by angels or celestial intelligences.
Instead of this explanation, Kepler proposed that there was some kind of driving force extending from the sun like the blades of a pinwheel.
His first book brought him to public attention, which led him to Tycho Brahe and Galileo.
--- p.79
Kepler was sickly and physically weak, so he could not enjoy such favorable conditions.
Still, he has accomplished a great deal, and I can't help but think that he could have done even more if he had been properly supported.
Moreover, if he had been given the help and respect he deserved, the world would have been free from the accusation that it had accepted the fruits of a brilliant genius while imposing a life of suffering on him.
--- p.101
There was a man who lived a great and dramatic life named Galileo Galilei (1564-1642).
Because he has had a greater influence on the development of human thought than any other figure we have discussed so far, it is essential that we devote considerable time to him in the design of this lecture.
Although he was a so-called 'universal genius' with a wide range of knowledge, it was as an experimental philosopher (i.e., an experimental scientist) that he rose to the highest position.
In this respect he should be placed alongside Archimedes, and it is safe to say that between them there was no comparable figure in the field of experimental science.
--- p.109
“I, Galileo Galilei, do abjure the heresy described above, and have sworn, pledged, and bound myself, and in proof of this have signed this abjuration with my own hand.
I have read this retraction word for word, and this document is exactly what I read.”
― June 22, 1633, at the Minerva Monastery in Rome
I, Galileo Galilei, have retracted the above with my own hand.
--- p.174
We are still in the early dawn of scientific discovery.
The dawn of modern science, dimly foreshadowed by Copernicus, brought closer by the work of Tycho and Kepler, and fully ushered in by the discoveries of Galileo, has certainly arrived, but the sun has not yet emerged.
It is shrouded in clouds and fog of the long night of ignorance and prejudice.
The light is enough to reveal the fog that has risen from this earth, but not enough to completely dispel it.
It will take another slow and uncertain generation before the first rays of sunlight break through the eastern clouds and reveal the full splendor of the sun.
--- p.183
His method is quiet, steady, uninterrupted, and undisturbed contemplation.
A lot can be accomplished under those conditions.
You have to sacrifice a lot to get those conditions.
All the world's greatest works of thought were done this way.
Buffon said, "Genius is patience."
Newton also says this:
“If I have rendered any service to the public in this respect, it is solely due to diligence and patient reflection.”
At times I was overwhelmed by the mystery and grandeur of it all, and felt drawn by some force stronger than myself to explore it.
I studied it patiently, slowly but steadily, diligently.
I was content to harvest a vast body of knowledge, even if I could glean a few crumbs, and I was happy to understand even one broad general principle or one widely applicable law.
If only I could understand, even just a little, the spirit and reasoning of the being who designed this wondrous world, that would be enough.
People who fall into this last category are scientists.
--- p.13
There is absolutely no reason to believe that Copernicus was any great intellectual or figure of any kind who ever existed or who will ever appear in the near future.
He was simply a quiet, sincere, patient, and devout man, a profound researcher and an unbiased thinker.
Although he was not a man of particularly dazzling or impressive talents, he was given the mission of bringing about a revolution that would overturn the entire course of human thought.
--- p.19
His system clearly had several imperfections.
But it is about having the courage to look at the facts of nature with your own eyes, without being bound by prejudices that have been passed down for centuries.
A system, backed by long-standing authority and great names, was universally accepted and believed without question for centuries.
In an age when everyone's thinking was dominated by tradition and authority, and doubt itself was considered a sin, questioning such a system and seeking a new, better system was impossible without great intellect and high character.
This monk from Frauenburg possessed just such intelligence and character.
--- p.37~38
Humanity has long tended to scoff at and resist the truth, only to eventually accept it uncritically and unimaginatively.
As a result, we fail to appreciate the great achievements of those who first presented that truth, and the difficulties they had to overcome.
--- p.44
He began to speculate about the causes of planetary motion.
The traditional idea in ancient times was that the planets were orbited by angels or celestial intelligences.
Instead of this explanation, Kepler proposed that there was some kind of driving force extending from the sun like the blades of a pinwheel.
His first book brought him to public attention, which led him to Tycho Brahe and Galileo.
--- p.79
Kepler was sickly and physically weak, so he could not enjoy such favorable conditions.
Still, he has accomplished a great deal, and I can't help but think that he could have done even more if he had been properly supported.
Moreover, if he had been given the help and respect he deserved, the world would have been free from the accusation that it had accepted the fruits of a brilliant genius while imposing a life of suffering on him.
--- p.101
There was a man who lived a great and dramatic life named Galileo Galilei (1564-1642).
Because he has had a greater influence on the development of human thought than any other figure we have discussed so far, it is essential that we devote considerable time to him in the design of this lecture.
Although he was a so-called 'universal genius' with a wide range of knowledge, it was as an experimental philosopher (i.e., an experimental scientist) that he rose to the highest position.
In this respect he should be placed alongside Archimedes, and it is safe to say that between them there was no comparable figure in the field of experimental science.
--- p.109
“I, Galileo Galilei, do abjure the heresy described above, and have sworn, pledged, and bound myself, and in proof of this have signed this abjuration with my own hand.
I have read this retraction word for word, and this document is exactly what I read.”
― June 22, 1633, at the Minerva Monastery in Rome
I, Galileo Galilei, have retracted the above with my own hand.
--- p.174
We are still in the early dawn of scientific discovery.
The dawn of modern science, dimly foreshadowed by Copernicus, brought closer by the work of Tycho and Kepler, and fully ushered in by the discoveries of Galileo, has certainly arrived, but the sun has not yet emerged.
It is shrouded in clouds and fog of the long night of ignorance and prejudice.
The light is enough to reveal the fog that has risen from this earth, but not enough to completely dispel it.
It will take another slow and uncertain generation before the first rays of sunlight break through the eastern clouds and reveal the full splendor of the sun.
--- p.183
His method is quiet, steady, uninterrupted, and undisturbed contemplation.
A lot can be accomplished under those conditions.
You have to sacrifice a lot to get those conditions.
All the world's greatest works of thought were done this way.
Buffon said, "Genius is patience."
Newton also says this:
“If I have rendered any service to the public in this respect, it is solely due to diligence and patient reflection.”
--- p.278~279
Publisher's Review
From the Age of Faith to the Age of Reason
The belief that the Earth is the center of the universe, the teaching that divine providence governs nature, the traditional notion that humans are unchanging beings… Some began to question these common beliefs and look at the world anew.
They did not stop their steps toward the advancement of knowledge, despite the authority of religion and tradition at the time.
《Scientists Who Changed the World》 is a book that celebrates such intellectual courage.
From Copernicus to Newton, it traces the trajectories of the figures who opened the world of modern science beyond the Dark Ages of the Middle Ages, vividly depicting the backgrounds, the resistance they overcame, and the scientific discoveries they made.
Science is a new language to explain the world.
This book tells the story of the achievements and lives of the figures who led the dawn of modern science, including Sir Oliver Lodge, a leading physicist and thinker of the late 19th century.
Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton, who were active in the 15th to 17th centuries, are scientists who revolutionarily expanded the intellectual horizons of humanity.
We follow their journey of intense exploration and reflection as they revisit the world around them.
These are the dazzling processes of writing the first sentence in a new language that describes the world.
Copernicus published his book, which he had been writing throughout his life, just before his death.
Because he knew that his claim of a heliocentric universe would be considered blasphemous.
Galileo was tried by the Inquisition for proving the imperfection of the heavens with his telescope.
And he was forced to remain in silence in retirement until his death, leaving behind a document retracting his claims.
Kepler defended his mother, who was accused of being a witch, and attempted to unify the harmony of God and the order of mathematics.
Descartes had to express many of his ideas indirectly for fear that his philosophy might be banned by the church, and Newton, too, had to borrow religious language to explain the order of universal gravitation while demonstrating his conviction that human reason could understand God's plan.
The author does not stop at mere biographies or scientific chronicles of these stories, but vividly portrays the scientists' way of thinking, their historical background, their clash with religious traditions, and even the anguish of individuals who pursued scientific truth across these boundaries, all in his characteristically clear and passionate style.
In addition, scientific facts and laws are explained in an easy and clear manner to help readers understand.
The history of science is a history of thought that breaks down the boundaries of prejudice and ignorance.
In the 21st century, we are at the pinnacle of science and technology, but sometimes we find ourselves faced with the clash of prejudice and ignorance, of belief and knowledge.
This begs the question, "Where does humanity stand now?" In "Scientists Who Changed the World," the author argues that the essence of science lies not in simply accumulating "facts," but in "question beyond boundaries."
It highlights how scientists have demonstrated creativity and imagination while clashing with religious traditions, emphasizing the "courage to look at the facts of nature with one's own eyes, unfettered by centuries of prejudice."
The author viewed scientists as philosophers who expanded the boundaries of thought and revolutionaries who fundamentally shook up the way humans perceive the world.
In his eyes, science was 'the history of patient human thought.'
Based on this perspective, "Scientists Who Changed the World" offers a moving introduction to how science has expanded the boundaries of the human mind.
This book is clear enough to be read by anyone from teenagers to adults, yet it contains deep insights.
To make it more accessible to those who are interested in science but find it difficult, we are reducing technical content and focusing on conveying historical tension and intellectual excitement.
The belief that the Earth is the center of the universe, the teaching that divine providence governs nature, the traditional notion that humans are unchanging beings… Some began to question these common beliefs and look at the world anew.
They did not stop their steps toward the advancement of knowledge, despite the authority of religion and tradition at the time.
《Scientists Who Changed the World》 is a book that celebrates such intellectual courage.
From Copernicus to Newton, it traces the trajectories of the figures who opened the world of modern science beyond the Dark Ages of the Middle Ages, vividly depicting the backgrounds, the resistance they overcame, and the scientific discoveries they made.
Science is a new language to explain the world.
This book tells the story of the achievements and lives of the figures who led the dawn of modern science, including Sir Oliver Lodge, a leading physicist and thinker of the late 19th century.
Copernicus, Tycho Brahe, Kepler, Galileo, Descartes, and Newton, who were active in the 15th to 17th centuries, are scientists who revolutionarily expanded the intellectual horizons of humanity.
We follow their journey of intense exploration and reflection as they revisit the world around them.
These are the dazzling processes of writing the first sentence in a new language that describes the world.
Copernicus published his book, which he had been writing throughout his life, just before his death.
Because he knew that his claim of a heliocentric universe would be considered blasphemous.
Galileo was tried by the Inquisition for proving the imperfection of the heavens with his telescope.
And he was forced to remain in silence in retirement until his death, leaving behind a document retracting his claims.
Kepler defended his mother, who was accused of being a witch, and attempted to unify the harmony of God and the order of mathematics.
Descartes had to express many of his ideas indirectly for fear that his philosophy might be banned by the church, and Newton, too, had to borrow religious language to explain the order of universal gravitation while demonstrating his conviction that human reason could understand God's plan.
The author does not stop at mere biographies or scientific chronicles of these stories, but vividly portrays the scientists' way of thinking, their historical background, their clash with religious traditions, and even the anguish of individuals who pursued scientific truth across these boundaries, all in his characteristically clear and passionate style.
In addition, scientific facts and laws are explained in an easy and clear manner to help readers understand.
The history of science is a history of thought that breaks down the boundaries of prejudice and ignorance.
In the 21st century, we are at the pinnacle of science and technology, but sometimes we find ourselves faced with the clash of prejudice and ignorance, of belief and knowledge.
This begs the question, "Where does humanity stand now?" In "Scientists Who Changed the World," the author argues that the essence of science lies not in simply accumulating "facts," but in "question beyond boundaries."
It highlights how scientists have demonstrated creativity and imagination while clashing with religious traditions, emphasizing the "courage to look at the facts of nature with one's own eyes, unfettered by centuries of prejudice."
The author viewed scientists as philosophers who expanded the boundaries of thought and revolutionaries who fundamentally shook up the way humans perceive the world.
In his eyes, science was 'the history of patient human thought.'
Based on this perspective, "Scientists Who Changed the World" offers a moving introduction to how science has expanded the boundaries of the human mind.
This book is clear enough to be read by anyone from teenagers to adults, yet it contains deep insights.
To make it more accessible to those who are interested in science but find it difficult, we are reducing technical content and focusing on conveying historical tension and intellectual excitement.
GOODS SPECIFICS
- Date of issue: August 5, 2025
- Page count, weight, size: 280 pages | 152*224*20mm
- ISBN13: 9788961673679
- ISBN10: 896167367X
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