Mathematics and the Rise of Scientific Disciplines

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The "Scientific Revolution" of the 17th century stands as a watershed in the development of world civilization. A major component of the transformation which took place at that time in the way we look at the world is what Andre Koyre called the geometrization of nature. In order to understand science and how it has developed, it is essential that we should understand how and why Western natural philosophers turned to mathematics as the key to unlock the secrets of nature. Galileo sounded the battle cry for this revolution, but why was he so moved to put mathematics in this special place? Dr. Livesey is investigating this issue and has found a possible source coming from a most unlikely direction, at least given our current expectations. Despite its supposed antipathy to science, Dr. Livesey hypothesizes that the source of the mathematization of nature came from theology| Specifically, he has found in the commentaries in the 14th, 15th and 16th centuries to a theological treatise, Peter Lombard's "Sentences," discussions of the nature of science which allowed for the use of mathematics in the study of nature. Aristotle, except in very limited circumstances, proscribed in his "Posterior Analytics" the use of mathematics in science. With this grant, Dr. Livesey will seek to determine the dimensions of the movement stemming from these theological commentaries to create a mathematical physics. The project will be carried out in two stages. The first stage will examine an early commentary by John of Reading, a contemporary of William of Ockham. The second phase of the study will be a more comprehensive examination of the later developments leading up to Galileo. This study holds great promise to radically change our view of the processes of development of modern science and of the relationship of science and religion. ***