This course explores the development of scientific inquiry in relation to the major intellectual, cultural, religious, and political developments of the early modern period, from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment. We will examine how new approaches to understanding the natural world established the foundations of the modern sciences. Our protagonists will include Galileo, Descartes, Newton, Linnaeus, and plenty of less famous but equally fascinating figures. We will consider the social, global and imperial contexts of early modern science, the importance of material culture - instruments, collections, artistic productions - and the circulation of scientific ideas between laboratories, academies, courts, and the public sphere. By the end of the course, students will have learned to detect the myriad ways in which scientific ideas and practices reflect the world of their making.
5 units · Letter (ABCD/NP)
This course explores the development of scientific inquiry in relation to the major intellectual, cultural, religious, and political developments of the early modern period, from the Renaissance through the Enlightenment. We will examine how new approaches to understanding the natural world established the foundations of the modern sciences. Our protagonists will include Galileo, Descartes, Newton, Linnaeus, and plenty of less famous but equally fascinating figures. We will consider the social, global and imperial contexts of early modern science, the importance of material culture - instruments, collections, artistic productions - and the circulation of scientific ideas between laboratories, academies, courts, and the public sphere. By the end of the course, students will have learned to detect the myriad ways in which scientific ideas and practices reflect the world of their making.
Offered in Winter 2026 at Stanford University.