ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 7
AUTHORS＇ FOREWORD 11
GENERAL INTRODUCTION：COSMOLOGY 15
Part Ⅰ：The Sources of the Old Order 25
1 CELESTIAL FORECASTING 27
The Sources 28
The Problems 31
The Background of the Problems 35
The Solution to the Problems 39
The Wider Issues 46
How the Babylonians Computed Conjunctions 55
2 THE INVENTION OF THEORY 58
The Sources 58
The Background 60
The Character of Greek Theory 65
The First Theories 72
From Ingredients to Axioms 77
Plato＇s Geometrical Astronomy 87
3 THE PREMATURE SYNTHESIS 98
Aristotle＇s Programme 99
Motion and Change 101
The Celestial Mechanism 114
The Size of the Earth＇s Sphere 122
4 DOUBTERS AND HERETICS 125
Patching up the Dynamics 127
Amending the Astronomy 129
Aristrachos＇s Heliocentric Theory 132
5 PHYSICS LOSES MOMENTUM 139
Four Questions 140
The Political Background to Late Greek Astronomy 142
The Scientific Background：The Retreat from Physics 144
The Scientific Background：An Acquisition 148
Ptolemy＇s Mathematical Astronomy 150
the Wider Revolt against Philosophy 157
Archimedes and the Circle 162
Part Ⅱ：The New Perspective and its Consequences 167
6 THE INTERREGNUM 169
The Roundabout Journey 169
The Medieval Revival 175
The Background to Copernicus 178
Medieval Arguments about the Moving Earth 182
Copernicus：His Aim and his Theory 187
Copernicus：His Achievement 193
7 PREPARING THE GROUND 200
The Background of the New Science 200
The Work of Tycho Brahe 202
Galileo＇s Telescopic Discoveries 208
Johann Kepler＇s Astronomical Physics 218
8 THE CREATION OF MECHANICS 230
The Change from Aristotle to Newton 231
Treating Motion Mathematically 233
Motion and Force 242
The New Ideal：Straight-Line Motion 247
9 THE NEW PICTURE TAKES SHAPE 250
The Man and his Task 251
Newton＇s Argument 255
The Character of Newton＇s Achievement 262
The Unity of Craft and Theory 268
10 THE WIDENING HORIZON 274
The Loose Ends：(1) Planetary Inequalities 274
The Loose Ends：(2) The Mechanism of Gravity 280
The Larger-Scale Picture 286
The Wider Influences of Newton 289
Certainty and Scientific Theory 294
INDEX 301