The Sleepwalkers
by Arthur Koestler · first published 1968
69% recommend31% neutral
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
Mysterium cosmographicum
Johannes Kepler
0 recommend · 6 mentioned0 recommend · 6 mention0 recommend · 60 recommend
2016–2025The invention of science
David Wootton
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 127 recommend · 12 mention7 recommend · 127 recommend
2010–2025The Copernican revolution
Thomas S. Kuhn
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 117 recommend · 11 mention7 recommend · 117 recommend
2010–2026The Problems of Philosophy
Bertrand Russell
Recommended by 17 · mentioned by 2617 recommend · 26 mention17 recommend · 2617 recommend
2009–2025Against Method
Paul K. Feyerabend
Recommended by 32 · mentioned by 7232 recommend · 72 mention32 recommend · 7232 recommend
2010–2026The Story of Philosophy
Will Durant, Du Shu Xin Wen She
Recommended by 22 · mentioned by 3822 recommend · 38 mention22 recommend · 3822 recommend
2012–2024The Day the Universe Changed
Burke, James
Recommended by 15 · mentioned by 2015 recommend · 20 mention15 recommend · 2015 recommend
2007–2026Reasons and Persons
Derek Parfit
Recommended by 24 · mentioned by 3724 recommend · 37 mention24 recommend · 3724 recommend
…more than 5 minutes. The more concrete the EWDs get the worse they are. For some perspective on how science really gets done, as opposed to people's romantic images of how it is done, I recommend "The Sleepwalkers" by Arthur Koestler, about the Copernican revolution, and "The psychology of mathematical invention" by Hadamard.
on “Dijkstra: On the cruelty of really teaching computer science (1988) [pdf]” ↗…through it: John Rawls's A Theory of Justice...an important book with a few very important ideas. Stuff by Amartya Sen. On philosophy of science, the historical narratives do the job I think, like The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler (a great read once you get through the Greeks). You could read Thomas Kuhn, Feyerabend's autobiography "Killing Time" which is great, and if you're really serious read Peter Galison's…
on “Ask HN: Best Philosophical Books?” ↗“The Sleepwalkers” by Arthur Koestler
on “Ask HN: Any recommendation for a good History of Science book?” ↗…books with you) is a great way of integrating the ideas into your thinking. As to the list: Anybody interested in reading Arthur Koestler (and he is really worth reading) might want to start with The Sleepwalkers. It is a very readable account of the development of science - if you like it you will be motivated to delve into some of his other work.
on “Alan Kay’s reading list” ↗I highly recommend Arthur Koestler's 'Sleepwalkers'. It's a detailed history of Copernicus, Brahe and in particular Kepler, but is also about how new models of knowledge gain traction. So it goes way beyond simplistic 'lone genius' analyses but still…
on “Johannes Kepler was not a lone genius” ↗In Sleepwalkers (great book), Arthur Koestler argues that many senior church figures were keen and supportive followers of Galileo's physical investigations, but repeatedly warned him not to cross the line between observing…
on “Opposition to Galileo was scientific, not just religious” ↗…Philosophy of Sciences. I demur. Comparing two giants of the Philosophy of Science (nb: not plural) to a relative unknown. I would recommend instead “Against Method” (1975) by Paul Feyerabend or “The Sleepwalkers” (1959) by Arthur Koestler.
on “Eminent Philosophers Name the Most Important Philosophy Books from 1950-2000” ↗Those interested in the history of scientific thought might enjoy a great book by Arthur Koestler called "The Sleepwalkers", accessible, readable and well-written. It's also endorsed by modern philosopher John Gray as a precursor to (and a better book than) Kuhn's "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions".
on “Why No Roman Industrial Revolution?” ↗Thank you, I'll check that Simek tome out. Think I mentioned this here before but never mind. Another great book about the whole round/flat debate (and much much more) is Arthur Koestler's The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe. Basically the ancient Greeks had this one all figured out - Aristarchus[1] "who presented the first known model that placed the Sun at the center of…
on “How north ended up on top of the map” ↗Reading The Sleepwalkers by Arthur Koestler may be interesting for you. Science and cosmology has progressed tremendously because of people like Kepler who have had right conclusions despite incorrect methods. One relevant excerpt:…
on “A British clergyman who predicted black holes in 1783” ↗For anyone interested in the topic of Copernicus' heliocentrism, I can recommend Arthur Koestler's 'The Sleepwalkers': https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Sleepwalkers:_A_History_of.... While it does contain some speculation that is, in my opinion, poorly grounded, overall it is very informative and does a good job of…
on “Precursors of Copernicus' heliocentric theory” ↗Arthur Koestler in "Sleepwalkers" cites numerous criticisms from Vatican backed scholars that strongly suggest even though Copernicus may not have faced the unbridled legal wrath of the Church, that his career and reputation were severely…
on ““Science must respect the dignity and rights of all humans”” ↗Another point, discussed in Arthur Koestler's The Sleepwalkers (I'm going from memory, so there may be slight errors), is that the Copernican model was pretty ugly: 1. It actually required more epicycles than the Ptolemaic model. 2. It didn't even have the other…
on “Researcher discovers another astronomy book written by Galileo Galilei” ↗Meticulously detailed account of Kepler's bride computing process can be found in his letter to unknown nobleman (dated from Linz, 23 October 1613). I've read just fragments of it from "The Sleepwalkers: A History of Man's Changing Vision of the Universe", the book by Arthur Koestler. Introductory paragraph (p. 399): "Kepler's first marriage had been engineered by his well wishers when he was penniless…
on “How To Marry The Right Girl: A Mathematical Solution” ↗…Lodovico delle Colombe and Cesare Cremonini. And other passages in other works of Galileo, but that alone is sufficiento sink "Evidence-free claim". This has been batted back and forth since (at least) The Sleepwalkers (1959) by Arthur Koestler so you can argue against the assertaion but it's foolish to pretend there isn't reams of references on this going back decades.
on “Salt and salary: Were Roman soldiers paid in salt? (2017)” ↗