History of Science I

Catalog description

The main goal of this course is to think through and understand major developments, ideas and issues in natural philosophy. "Natural philosophy" is the premodern term for science. The term "science" began to acquire its modern meanings around 1840. The geographic focus of this course is the Mediterranean region and Europe, but we will also investigate early science in China, the Indian subcontinent, and the Islamic world. The temporal coverage of this course is vast: from about 10,000 years ago to the 19th century. As is common in history courses, it will be essential for us temporarily to set aside modern and contemporary biases and ways of thinking. Our goal is to understand the world as ancient and premodern people did. Issues of religion will constantly make appearances in this course. If you have studied world religions already, that is great, but if not, the books and lectures will provide the essential points as we go along. You should also use Wikipedia or similar reference tools to look up any key term or concept that does not make sense to you, whether with respect to lectures or the books. It is your job to make an active effort to master the material. This course is ideal for anyone pursuing a scientific or technical major, but anyone should benefit from it. We will be exploring some of the most important issues that have shaped our world, key developments in the human capacity for creating knowledge and useful technologies, and, in some cases, innovative solutions to vexing problems. We will also examine some of the ways that social institutions, belief systems, and paradigms (models) have helped both to organize and to constrain human knowledge. If all goes reasonably well, this course will enhance your knowledge and open your mind to hitherto unfamiliar ways of thinking and approaches to problems.