Login

Publications  •  Project Statistics

Glossary  •  Schools  •  Disciplines
People Search: 
   
Title/Abstract Search: 

Dissertation Information for Rachel Elisa Bindman

NAME:
- Rachel Elisa Bindman

DEGREE:
- Ph.D.

DISCIPLINE:
- History

SCHOOL:
- University of California, Los Angeles (USA) (2000)

ADVISORS:
- Geoffrey W. Symcox

COMMITTEE MEMBERS:
- Kathryn Norberg
- David Warren Sabean
- Albert Boime
- Paula Findlen

MPACT Status: Fully Complete

Title: The Accademia dei Lincei: Pedagogy and the natural sciences in Counter-Reformation Rome

Abstract: The dissertation, "The Accademia dei Lincei: Pedagogy and the Natural Sciences in Counter-Reformation Rome," examines the history and historiography concerning this seventeenth-century scientific society. The membership of Galileo Galilei is largely responsible for its reputation as a, if not the, prototype of modern scientific academies such as the Royal Society and Académie des Sciences. Federico Cesi founded the Lincean society (1603-1630) and articulated this program of "free inquiry into the natural sciences" in Counter-Reformation Rome, at a time of acute political and religious tensions. These tensions, which culminated in the trial of Galileo, would shape the development of his academy throughout its short life. Based on a close reading of primary sources, I suggest that the novelty of this academy resides not so much in its endorsement of the new philosophy but rather in its attempt to implement an international, secular program of pedagogy firmly grounded in the natural sciences. I therefore argue that we should regard the Lincei primarily as a secular counterpart to the religiously-based pedagogy of the Jesuits. Cesi pinned his hopes for disseminating and promoting the academy's pedagogical program via the printing press, but I believe that he overestimated the power of the press as an agent of change. After his death, his academy disbanded: its demise was largely the result of Cesi's idiosyncratic leadership and his failure to create an institutional framework for his academy. Its pedagogical mission thus remained unfulfilled and has disappeared from the historical account of it that was subsequently constructed. Its legacy to scientific inquiry was, however, re-discovered during the eighteenth century. The gradual rehabilitation of Galileo and the academy became a source of national pride during the Risorgimento. At the time of unification, the name of the Reale Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei was chosen as Italy's premier scientific institution.

MPACT Scores for Rachel Elisa Bindman

A = 0
C = 0
A+C = 0
T = 0
G = 0
W = 0
TD = 0
TA = 0
calculated 2008-09-11 21:46:28

Advisors and Advisees Graph

generating graph, please reload

Students under Rachel Elisa Bindman

ADVISEES:
- None

COMMITTEESHIPS:
- None