A History of Galileo's Inclined Plane Experiment and Its Philosophical Implications

This book is a history and philosophy of Galileo's inclined plane experiment. It deploys an integrated historical pragmatist methodology to reflect on what we can learn from those events and their significance for our understanding of experimental practice in science. The book draws on complex experiments with sounds and falling bodies that have been reenacted and interpreted in the light of a historical-pragmatist methodology. It also reflects on the lasting legacy of Galileo's inclined plane experiment, and on the potential of a generalized, historical-pragmatist approach to, and its implications for, the history and philosophy of science.