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Robert Hooke's Microscope: the Epistemology of an Instrument

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Robert Hooke's Microscope: the Epistemology of an Instrument COPYRIGHT AND USE OF THIS THESIS This thesis must be used in accordance with the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. Reproduction of material protected by copyright may be an infringement of copyright and copyright owners may be entitled to take legal action against persons who infringe their copyright. Section 51 (2) of the Copyright Act permits an authorized officer of a university library or archives to provide a copy (by communication or otherwise) of an unpublished thesis kept in the library or archives, to a person who satisfies the authorized officer that he or she requires the reproduction for the purposes of research or study. The Copyright Act grants the creator of a work a number of moral rights, specifically the right of attribution, the right against false attribution and the right of integrity. You may infringe the author’s moral rights if you: - fail to acknowledge the author of this thesis if you quote sections from the work - attribute this thesis to another author - subject this thesis to derogatory treatment which may prejudice the author’s reputation For further information contact the University’s Director of Copyright Services sydney.edu.au/copyright Robert Hooke's Microscope: The Epistemology of an Instrument Ian Lawson Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History and Philosophy of Science. The University of Sydney 2015 i Table of Contents Acknowledgements........................................................................................................................................iv Chapter 1: Introduction.................................................................................................................................1 The Nature of Art.....................................................................................................................................1 Context........................................................................................................................................................4 Thesis Topic...............................................................................................................................................7 Chapter Outlines.....................................................................................................................................10 Chapter 2: Robert Hooke's Microscope...................................................................................................12 The Frustrations of the Early Modern Microscopist.......................................................................12 The Perfection of Lenses.......................................................................................................................21 The Invisible Material: Light.................................................................................................................29 Seeing What Was There: Specimens....................................................................................................31 Crafted Knowledge.................................................................................................................................38 Chapter 3: The Colours in Thin Plates.....................................................................................................40 The Importance of Materials................................................................................................................40 Hooke's Ideas on Colour Production..................................................................................................45 Crafting a Novel Experience.................................................................................................................57 The Irony of Acceptance: Newton's Influence on Hooke..............................................................61 Hypotheses and Practical Knowledge.................................................................................................68 Chapter 4: The Man with Microscope Eyes.............................................................................................71 The Hope of the Microscope...............................................................................................................71 Drawing Pictures.....................................................................................................................................77 Dr. Power Comes to Town....................................................................................................................80 The World Through a Microscope.......................................................................................................86 Visual Epistemology...............................................................................................................................94 Lookalikes.................................................................................................................................................98 The Machines of Nature.....................................................................................................................102 Under the Surface.................................................................................................................................107 Chapter 5: Inhuman Pursuits....................................................................................................................109 The Philosophical Duchess.................................................................................................................109 The Bear Necessities: the Form of Cavendish's Critique..............................................................113 The Royal Society's Early Critics, and Their Responses.................................................................118 The Study of Nature: Animals and Instruments.............................................................................121 Inhuman Knowledge............................................................................................................................128 Philosophy for Humans.......................................................................................................................133 Other Worlds.........................................................................................................................................142 Chapter 6: Eyesight and Ideas..................................................................................................................144 Building an Eye......................................................................................................................................144 The Tradition of the Camera Obscura..............................................................................................148 The Genealogy of Hooke's Instrument............................................................................................156 Hooke's Demonstration of Eyesight.................................................................................................163 The Eye as Instrument.........................................................................................................................165 Certainty..................................................................................................................................................171 After the Eye..........................................................................................................................................173 Relativity..................................................................................................................................................178 Chapter 7: Roles and Causes.....................................................................................................................184 Method as Performance.......................................................................................................................184 Early Employment................................................................................................................................188 ii The Meaning of Experiment..............................................................................................................190 Professional Natural Philosophy........................................................................................................195 Hooke's Histories..................................................................................................................................204 History and Philosophy........................................................................................................................206 Writing His Own Job Description......................................................................................................219 Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................224 Bibliography.................................................................................................................................................226 Appendix: “The Uses and advantage of Microscopes”.......................................................................251 iii List of Figures 1.1: Full stop....................................................................................................................................................1 1.2: Figures observable in frozen water and urine.....................................................................................2
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