The Natural Philosophy of William Gilbert and His Predecessors

"The Natural Philosophy of William Gilbert and His Predecessors" by W. James King is a mid-20th century scientific book that examines William Gilbert's role in the shift from old to new scientific thinking, especially concerning magnetism and electricity. King's book looks at how earlier scholars affected Gilbert's ideas and how he helped set up later scientific progress. Looking closely at Gilbert's important work "De magnete," the book provides deep understandings of magnetism. King follows the history of Gilbert's work, comparing his ideas to those of earlier thinkers like Aristotle and St. Thomas Aquinas. He explains that Gilbert's ideas were connected to scholastic thoughts of his time while also showing him as a leader in modern physics. King's study shows how innovation and tradition worked together in Gilbert's scientific methods, especially with his thoughts on magnetism.