Examine the evolution, use, and impact of a specific scientific
instrument in the sixteenth and (primarily) seventeenth centuries. The
obvious choices here are the telescope or the microscope, but many other
“philosophical instruments” came into play during the era as well (such
as thermometers and barometers, precision timing devices, and so
forth). Ede and Cormack provide a good starting point for this topic. If
you choose to write about the telescope, don’t only focus on Galileo—it
would be really interesting to look a bit at how others made use of the
telescope in the wake of Galileo’s discoveries in 1609-10. This topic
will allow you to explore any of a number of interesting questions that
might be asked about the use of scientific instruments at the time: Were
they reliable? Did scientists agree on how to use them and about what
they revealed about nature? Did different scientists always “see” the
same thing when using similar or identical apparatus? Why did the use of
instruments become a mark of expertise?
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