Autonomous Nature

<p><em>Autonomous Nature</em> investigates the history of nature as an active often unruly force in tension with nature as a rational logical order from ancient times to the Scientific Revolution of the seventeenth century. Along with subsequent advances in mechanics hydrodynamics thermodynamics and electromagnetism nature came to be perceived as an orderly rational physical world that could be engineered controlled and managed. <i>Autonomous Nature</i> focuses on the history of unpredictability why it was a problem for the ancient world through the Scientific Revolution and why it is a problem for today. The work is set in the context of vignettes about unpredictable events such as the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius the Bubonic Plague the Lisbon Earthquake and efforts to understand and predict the weather and natural disasters. This book is an ideal text for courses on the environment environmental history history of science or the philosophy of science.</p>