Natural philosophical contention inside the Accademia del Cimento: The properties and effects of heat and cold / Le débat de la philosophie naturelle dans l'Académie del Cimento: les propriétés et les effets de la chaleur et du froid

Although historians have often believed that the Accademia del Cimento (1657-67) was as an exemplar of early modern experimental science, study of its unpublished letters and manuscripts reveals a different story. Instead of devoting themselves to the practice of an experimental method, the Cimento academicians seemed dedicated only to constructing experiments that could be interpreted in favour of their natural philosophical aims and interests. For example, their experiments pertaining to the properties and effects of heat and cold show an institution split between the Aristotelian beliefs of two of its members, and the mechanistic commitments of others in the group, including the patron, Prince Leopoldo de Medici.