Aviva Rothman
Case Western Reserve University, History, Faculty Member
The supernova of 1604 marks a major turning point in the cosmological crisis of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Capturing the eyes and imagination of Europe, it ignited an explosion of ideas that forever changed the face of... more
The supernova of 1604 marks a major turning point in the cosmological crisis of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Capturing the eyes and imagination of Europe, it ignited an explosion of ideas that forever changed the face of science. Variously interpreted as a comet or star, the new luminary brought together a broad network of scholars who debated the nature of the novelty and its origins in the universe. At the heart of the interdisciplinary discourse was Johannes Kepler, whose book 'On the New Star' (1606) assessed the many disputes of the day. Beginning with several studies about Kepler’s book, the authors of the present volume explore the place of Kepler and the ‘new star’ in early modern culture and religion, and how contemporary debate shaped the course of science down to the present day.
Contributors are: (1) Dario Tessicini, (2) Christopher M. Graney, (3) Javier Luna, (4) Patrick J. Boner, (5) Jonathan Regier, (6) Aviva Rothman, (7) Miguel Á. Granada, (8) Pietro Daniel Omodeo, (9) Matteo Cosci, and (10) William P. Blair.
https://brill.com/view/title/57505
Contributors are: (1) Dario Tessicini, (2) Christopher M. Graney, (3) Javier Luna, (4) Patrick J. Boner, (5) Jonathan Regier, (6) Aviva Rothman, (7) Miguel Á. Granada, (8) Pietro Daniel Omodeo, (9) Matteo Cosci, and (10) William P. Blair.
https://brill.com/view/title/57505
Research Interests:
A committed Lutheran excommunicated from his own church, a friend to Catholics and Calvinists alike, a layman who called himself a “priest of God,” a Copernican in a world where Ptolemy still reigned, a man who argued at the same time for... more
A committed Lutheran excommunicated from his own church, a friend to Catholics and Calvinists alike, a layman who called himself a “priest of God,” a Copernican in a world where Ptolemy still reigned, a man who argued at the same time for the superiority of one truth and the need for many truths to coexist—German astronomer Johannes Kepler was, to say the least, a complicated figure. With The Pursuit of Harmony, Aviva Rothman offers a new view of him and his achievements, one that presents them as a story of Kepler’s attempts to bring different, even opposing ideas and circumstances into harmony.
Harmony, Rothman shows, was both the intellectual bedrock for and the primary goal of Kepler’s disparate endeavors. But it was also an elusive goal amid the deteriorating conditions of his world, as the political order crumbled and religious war raged. In the face of that devastation, Kepler’s hopes for his theories changed: whereas he had originally looked for a unifying approach to truth, he began instead to emphasize harmony as the peaceful coexistence of different views, one that could be fueled by the fundamentally nonpartisan discipline of mathematics.
Harmony, Rothman shows, was both the intellectual bedrock for and the primary goal of Kepler’s disparate endeavors. But it was also an elusive goal amid the deteriorating conditions of his world, as the political order crumbled and religious war raged. In the face of that devastation, Kepler’s hopes for his theories changed: whereas he had originally looked for a unifying approach to truth, he began instead to emphasize harmony as the peaceful coexistence of different views, one that could be fueled by the fundamentally nonpartisan discipline of mathematics.
Research Interests:
Viewed as a flashpoint of the Scientific Revolution, early modern astronomy witnessed a virtual explosion of ideas about the nature and structure of the world. This study explores these theories in a variety of intellectual settings,... more
Viewed as a flashpoint of the Scientific Revolution, early modern astronomy witnessed a virtual explosion of ideas about the nature and structure of the world. This study explores these theories in a variety of intellectual settings, challenging our view of modern science as a straightforward successor to Aristotelian natural philosophy. It shows how astronomers dealt with celestial novelties by deploying old ideas in new ways and identifying more subtle notions of cosmic rationality. Beginning with the celestial spheres of Peurbach and ending with the evolutionary implications of the new star Mira Ceti, it surveys a pivotal phase in our understanding of the universe as a place of constant change that confirmed deeper patterns of cosmic order and stability.
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
This paper evaluates Kepler's 1618–1621 Epitome of Copernican Astronomy in light of two contextual events: the 1616 Decree of the Index banning Copernican books (including Volume 1 of Kepler's Epitome in 1619) and the start of the Thirty... more
This paper evaluates Kepler's 1618–1621 Epitome of Copernican Astronomy in light of two contextual events: the 1616 Decree of the Index banning Copernican books (including Volume 1 of Kepler's Epitome in 1619) and the start of the Thirty Years' War in 1618. Kepler's Epitome seems to defy traditional genre expectations: it takes the form of a text-book, and yet (especially in later volumes) it is more complicated than a traditional university primer, and seems targeted toward more expert readers. I argue that Kepler deliberately reframed the Epitome and modified its focus and approach in the years between the publication of its first volume in 1618 and its later volumes in 1620 and1621. These changes were related to Kepler's attempt to circumvent the ban on the first volume and help the book reach readers in Italy. To Kepler, a lifelong advocate for the Copernican cause, it was imperative that his book reach as many readers as possible. The spread of his work would both help educate potential future Copernicans and aid in overturning the ban on Copernican publication itself. Further, Kepler believed that princely readers might use the book's arguments as a model for peace in a time of war.