Eureka: The Birth Of Science

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That man ever managed to develop a 'scientific' attitude to the natural world is one of the true wonders of human thought. And answering the question of where and how this attitude began can help us better understand the world we live in and the science that governs it. Eureka! shows that science began with the Greeks. Disciplines as diverse as medicine, biology, engineering, mathematics and cosmology all have their roots in ancient Greece. Plato, Aristotle, Pythagoras, Archimedes and Hippocrates were amongst its stars - master architects all of modern, as well as ancient, science. But what lay behind this colossal eruption of scientific activity?Free from intellectual and religious dogma, the Greeks rejected explanation in terms of myths and capricious gods, and, in distinguishing between the natural and the supernatural, they were the first to discover nature. New theories began to be developed and tested, leading to a rapid increase in the sophistication of knowledge, and ultimately to an awareness of the distinction between science and technology. Andrew Gregory unravels the genesis of science in this fascinating exploration of the origins of Western civilisation and our desire for a rational, legitimating system of the universe.

E-Book Content

EUREKA! The Birth of Science Andrew Gregory 'Marvel as Andrew Gregory explains how the Greeks destroyed myths and gods in favour of a rule-based cosmos.' New Scientist REVOLUTIONS IN SCIENCE Eureka! The Birth of Science Andrew Gregory Series editor: Jon Turney ICON BOOKS UK TOTEM BOOKS USA Published in the UK in 2001 by Icon Books Ltd., Grange Road, Duxford, Cambridge CB2 4QF E-mail: [email protected] www.iconbooks.co.uk Sold in the UK, Europe,
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