One of the crucial differences between early modern and late modern views of nature is the predominantly static character of the former and the dynamic character of the latter, captured in such terms as “historicity,” “transformation,” “irreversibility,” “directionality,” “progress,” and “change.” The (irreversible) transformation of energy in the steam engine nicely captures this kind of dynamism (as compared to the cyclical motions of the clock and the equilibrium of the balance, both apt symbols of a static worldview).
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