I'm almost done with selections from "Two New Sciences." This is mostly about falling objects, buoyance, pendulums, and solid mechanics. It's well-argued, but it doesn't pack the same philosophical punch as "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems." That's fine--the subject matter doesn't lend itself to the same philosophical punch. I view "Two New Sciences" as a book that physicists should challenge themselves with (and I intend to take up that challenge by getting the whole thing and reading it cover-to-cover at some point). If you really get Newtonian mechanics, you'll get "Two New Sciences." On the other hand, I view "Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems" as a matter of historical and cultural literacy, being a book that sparked an infamous episode in the history of science and religion, and also brought about a fundamental transformation of how the Western world sees the universe. I intend to plug that gap in my literacy by re-reading it at some point. When I read it several years ago it was a hard slog, but now that I've digested some excerpts and contemporary documents with annotation, I'm ready to try again.
Next book blogging project to be announced soon.
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