Early Modern (15th-18th Century)

The Armillary Sphere
A drawing of a demonstrational armillary sphere, from Libros del saber de astronomia del rey D. Alfonso X De Castilla.
Large image (188K).
Very large image (1.6M).
Armillary spheres can be divided into two main categories: the observational armillary, as used by Ptolemy and Tycho Brahe; and the demonstrational instrument. Both types consist of a number of rings (Latin: armillae) which are arranged so as to model the circles of the celestial sphere. Typically, armillary spheres used for observation were larger and possessed fewer rings than those which served as demonstrational instruments; this made them more accurate and easier to use. Often the rings of demonstrational armillaries, like those of the observational spheres, were divided, and some incorporated sights which could be used to orient the instrument appropriately.

Outline: "Bohm, Bell - and Boom! The End of Modern Dualism"

The End of Cartesian Dualism: Physics (re)discovers Philosophy: over against Cartesian and especially 19th ct. positivist dualisms which separate physics and philosophy - the emergence of quantum mechanics forces physicists to be become philosophers again. Indeed, the logic of complementarity which q.m. requires ripples into a larger (re)turn to complementary relationships between physics, philosophy, and religion.

This work is one of the most influential in history. The famous
phrase, "COGITO ERGO SUM" (I think, therefore I am) is a central
theme. Descartes' beliefs on that dual nature of mind and body,
and his emphasis on the role of doubt in all inquiry, formed the
basis for centuries of science and social thought.
This etext was created by Ilana and Greg Newby. They used a Mac
IIci and Apple One Flatbed Scanner donated by Apple. Caere text
scanning and character recognition software (OmniPage) was used.
Greg is a professor in the U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in
the Grad. School of Library and Information Science. Ilana is a
reference librarian at the Urbana Free Library. Thanks to Apple
and Caere for their donations and to the Computer Service Office
of the University of Illinois for their unofficial support.

RETICULUM is a gateway to Internet resources for history and historians of basic, clinical, and behavioral neuroscience.  Links to existing sites are reviewed for salience and accuracy, organized by topic for convenient access, and regularly tested for availability.  Comments, questions, and additional resource suggestions and submissions are welcomed.

This is an e-text about the historical and philosophical background of Psychology. It was originally written for the benefit of my students at Shippensburg University, but I hope that it helps anyone with an intellectual interest in the field. The material is original and copyrighted by myself, and any distribution must be accompanied by my name and the copyright information. For personal educational use, it is free to one and all.

1650-1699
Descartes, Bishop Ussher, Hobbes, ... , Locke, Pepys, Perrault

1700-1749
Broughton, Leibniz, Berkeley, ... , La Mettrie, Hartley, Tillotson

Bedlam: Custody Care and Cure 1247-1997 at the Museum of London until 15 March 1998. This exhibition tells the fascinating 750-year-old story of Bethlem Royal Hospital, popularly known as 'Bedlam'.

Bethlem is the world's oldest institution caring for people with mental disorders. It has been a part of London since 1247 and many people, rich and poor, have played a part in its history

Street, W. R. (1994). A Chronology of Noteworthy Events in American Psychology. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association.
Addenda
23 Oct 1247 The priory of St. Mary of Bethlehem, later to become Bethlehem Hospital, was founded on land donated by Simon FitzMary at Bishopsgate Without, London. This original site is now located under the the Liverpool Street railway station. Bethlehem Hospital, or "Bedlam," later became notorious for its neglectful care of people with mental illness. The priory was first used to house "distracted persons" in around the year 1377.
15 Oct 1346 The impoverished priory and order of St. Mary of Bethlehem, later to become Bethlehem Hospital ("Bedlam"), was taken under the patronage and protection of Richard Lacer, mayor of London, and the citizens of London. The act brought to an end a century of "disaster, poverty, and failure."

The beginning of the sixteenth century is the most famous period of Italian art. It was the time of Michelangelo, Raphael, Dürer, Holbein, Giorgione, Titan, Correggio and many other famous masters. Leonardo da Vinci was much more than an artist. He was an astronomer, sculptor, geologist, mathematician, botanist, animal behaviourist, inventor, engineer, architect and even a musician. He was all of these things and more. As the world faces a new millennium Leonardo da Vinci remains one of the most fascinating people history has ever known. He once said that "things of the mind left untested by the senses are useless." Leonardo left little untested, yet few people know the amazing story behind the man often described as the embodiment of the Renaissance. This Web site endeavours to introduce you to the artist, the scientific visionary, the amazing inventor and Leonardo, the man. One can never explain the existence of genius, one can but enjoy.

Did You Know? Leonardo Da Vinci invented scissors; also, it took him ten years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

A major contribution to Western thought was the publication in 1543 of De revolutionibus orbium coelestium, libri VI (Eng. trans., On the Revolutions of the Celestial Spheres, 1952; Latin reprint, 1965) by Copernicus, Polish astronomer, who is noted for the Copernican theory of the heavens. By attributing to the Earth a daily motion around its own axis and a yearly motion around the stationary Sun, Copernicus developed an idea that had far-reaching implications for the rise of modern science. Henceforth, the Earth could no longer be considered the centre of the cosmos; rather, as one celestial body among many, it became subject to mathematical description.