The Science of Leonardo
Leonardo da Vinci's pioneering scientific work was virtually unknown during his lifetime. Now acclaimed scientist and bestselling author Fritjof Capra reveals that Leonardo was in many ways the unacknowledged "father of modern science." Drawing on an examination of over 6,000 pages of Leonardo's surviving notebooks, Capra explains that Leonardo approached scientific knowledge with the eyes of an artist. Through his studies of living and nonliving forms, from architecture and human anatomy to the turbulence of water and the growth patterns of grasses, he pioneered the empirical, systematic approach to the observation of nature--what is now known as the scientific method. Leonardo's scientific explorations were extraordinarily wide-ranging. He studied the flight patterns of birds to create some of the first human flying machines. Using his understanding of weights and levers and trajectories and forces, he designed military weapons and defenses, and was in fact regarded as one of the foremost military engineers of his era. He studied optics, the nature of light, and the workings of the human heart and circulatory system. Because of his vast knowledge of hydraulics, he was hired to create designs for rebuilding the infrastructure of Milan and the plain of Lombardy, employing the very principles still used by city planners today. He was a mechanical genius, and yet his worldview was not mechanistic but organic and ecological. This is why, in Capra's view, Leonardo's science--centuries ahead of his time in a host of fields--is eminently relevant to our time.Enhanced with fifty beautiful sepia-toned illustrations, The Science of Leonardo is a fresh and important portrait of a colossal figure in the world of science and the arts.
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Picked this book up because I was interested in Leonardo's way of thinking, which was peaked by a lot of recommendations for Walter Isaacson's biography. However, that book has the size of an elephant! Decided to pick this average sized book instead which also has a comparable score here on Goodreads.
As I'm a Design Engineer I was mostly interested in Leonardo's sciency side, rather than the painter and I wanted to get some take-aways which I could implement in my own life. Luckily, Capra starts with the argumentation that more designers/engineers/scientists can learn a lot from (and should adapt more of) Leonardo's way of working (and that their current way of working is flawed).
I strongly disliked Capra's formulation of this statement, but did really enjoy how he explained the state of affairs during Leonardo's time and how he was different from other contemporaries at the time. It's a really compact read on Leonardo's life and work giving some great detail and context.
I would recommend the book to anyone interested in Leonardo da Vinci's life who wants to get a sizeable introduction, however would recommend other books for engineers etc. When I have the time I'm looking forward to dive deeper into the subject with Walter Isaacson's book.
What I learned from the book:+Genius during the Renaissance was used to indicate the 'Gen', a sort of guardian spirit. If someone/thing was recognized as a genius than this was due to his/her/it's guardian spirit.+ Signs of geniuses: 1) insatiable curiosity, 2) extraordinary concentration and focus, 3) ability to memorize lots of information. + During the Renaissance the world view changed where in the Middle Ages a person's characteristics where created by God (fixed mindset), where in the Renaissance they acknowledged that understanding and knowledge came from the person (growth mindset). The goal became to know of many fields of study (the universal man). Leonardo went one step further and not only knew of a lot of different fields, but also interconnected that information. + Leonardo had a way of drawing where he sketched a line numerous times until he was satisfied with its perfect shape and than retraced that one. Makes me think of generative design, but then in sketching. **I should try this technique more, focusing on really lightly drawing until I know the end shape for certain.+ Leonardo spent his childhood outside in the fields and hills of Vinci. I've heard this from other recognized people and do think that this is best for your development; you learn to observe and really experience the world (street wise?) compared to only observing if you sit behind your computer for example.+ **Leonardo kept a notebook with him AT ALL TIMES and recorded everything. Even simple thoughts, Latin words he wanted to learn, etc.+ During the Renaissance a lot of the 'old knowledge' (Greek & Roman) was rediscovered. Arguably this was due to Christianity where the focus was on God and his creation and there was no room for Science. (In contrary, Islamic culture focuses more on practicing compassion, social justice and wealth and therefore offers more room for scientific exploration). During the Renaissance again came room for scientific exploration, but most of this was focused on re-reading the old texts and not on doing new discoveries (what Leonardo did do). + Middle-ages + Renaissance; worldview is nature based. During Scientific Revolution (from the Renaissance onwards), this view shifted to one where the earth is a machine. In a machine everything can be measured, you have clear inputs and outputs, components can be replaced etc. However, Leonardo thought, as well as current scientists, that everything is indeed more like a living being; everything is connected and complex. You cannot measure everything, but you can give a description of proportions for example. **Can you explain something, but you cannot use man-made definitions like length, time and weight?+ Leonardo always planned to convert his notebooks into treatises/books and publish them. Some texts are therefore also written like; "if you want to paint this scene, you shall do this and that". I think this is a great way of also getting to understand a subject, its similar to the Feynmann technique.
