The fire within the eye
Subtitle: a historical essay on the nature and meaning of light
By: David Park.
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Princeton, N.J
Language: eng
Number of pages: 377
ISBN-13: 9780691043326
Subjects: Light -- History; Optics -- History
Description: In The Fire within the Eye, scientist and author David Park helps us reconceive the everyday phenomenon of light in profound ways, from spiritual meanings embedded in our culture to the challenging questions put forth by great scientists and philosophers.

Park, who is both a gifted teacher and physicist, takes us on a tour through history spanning ancient Greek, Neoplatonic, and Arabic philosopher together with astrology, the metaphysics of Galileo and Kepler, and the role of mathematics and experimentation in modern physics. By creatively synthesizing a broad sweep of historical events and intellectual movements around the theme of light, the author offers readers of all backgrounds a unique perspective on Western civilization itself.

Readers will find themselves immersed in lively discussions conducted by a physicist equally at home exploring the invention of perspective by Brunelleschi and Alberti, the writings of Goethe, or the mathematical models inspiring Maxwell's electromagnetic theory. Park writes eloquently of the physical, aesthetic, and spiritual aspects of light, making this book an invaluable guide for all readers wishing to explore the fascinating relationship between science and culture.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [357]-372) and index.
Table of contents: title: The power of light; title: The image and the mind; title: Rays; title: The light that shineth in darkness; title: The end of classical optics; title: A new age begins; title: The rise of optical experiment; title: Enlightenment; title: Unification; title: What is light?; title: Technical terms; title: References and further reading