Leonardo da Vinci is celebrated as the archetypal Renaissance man. He made extraordinary discoveries in numerous fields and pioneered entire disciplines, among them fluid dynamics, aerodynamics, theoretical botany, and embryology. Leonardo's unique synthesis of art, science, and technology is not only fascinating intellectually but also very relevant to our time-it prefigures modern systems theory. Our sciences and technologies have become increasingly narrow in their focus, unable to understand our multi-faceted problems from an interdisciplinary perspective; and our business and political leaders are often incapable of "connecting the dots." This is exactly what we can learn from Leonardo. As the author shows throughout the book, Da Vinci practiced a science and technology that honored and respected the unity of all life, recognized the fundamental interdependence of all natural phenomena, and connected the microcosm (the human being) with the macrocosm (the living Earth). That is exactly the kind of science and technology we need today.
Inhaltsverzeichnis
Preface
Timeline of Scientific Discoveries
Prologue: Leonardo's Genius
I. Form and Transformation in the Macrocosm
1. The Movements of Water
2. The Living Earth
3. The Growth of Plants
II. Form and Transformation in the Human Body
4. The Human Figure
5. The Elements of Mechanics
6. The Body in Motion
7. The Science of Flight
8. The Mystery of Life
Coda: Leonardo's Legacy
Chronology of Leonardo's Life and Work
Color plates
Notes
Leonardo's Notebooks: Facsimiles and Transcriptions
Bibliography
Resources for Leonardo Scholarship
Acknowledgments
Photographic Credits
Index
About the Author
