The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
-
Upload
shanedawson1234 -
Category
Documents
-
view
218 -
download
0
Transcript of The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
1/18
Origins & Nature of Science
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
2/18
Pre-Aristotle
Viewed the world as a stage upon which
supernatural forces played.
World is a reflection of the Creator imbued
with motives, goals, etc.
Assumption ofFinal Causation. Using this worldview, how would
you explain thecause of
Lightening and
thunder?
Humandisease?
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
3/18
Platos View of Reality
Understand natural world via reason/reflection. Senses unreliablecan only see shadows; not
reality itself.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
4/18
300s BC - Aristotle
Departs from Plato - Radical thinking in
Greece
Tried to explain nature without invoking
supernatural forces or motivations.
Best way to learn about nature is to observe
nature itself.
First to rely on Efficient Causation to explain
natural phenomena.
Emphasis on empirical data.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
5/18
Aristotle
Natural objects consist of:
List some of Aristotles contribution tounderstanding nature:
One insight: Change is cyclical.
Universe is without beginning or end
* Described the water cycle
* Described the rock cycle
* Anticipated great age of the Earth
Matter
Potential Form
* Anticipated climate change
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
6/18
Aristotle
List some of Aristotles contribution to
understanding nature:
One insight: Change is cyclical.
Universe is without beginning or end
* Described the water cycle
* Described the rock cycle
* Anticipated changing climate* Anticipated great age of the Earth
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
7/18
Aristotles Ideas lost.
Catholic Church dominates Europe
400 ADSt. Augustine
Argued that Truth is revealed by God in Scripture.
So, study scripture to understand the natural world. If natural world contradicts scripture scripture
holds Truth, contradiction = test of faith.
Appeal is to Authority for Truth.
Think like St Augustine:How would you explain:
Crop failure
Purpose of Butterflies
or Flowers
Sickness
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
8/18
500-1500 Middle Ages (aka Dark Ages)
Main focus of science = cataloging nature
naming and describing things.
Catholic Church needs people who can read
Latin, keep track of the heavens .
Leads to establishment of the University.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
9/18
Medieval Warm Period (1000-1300)
European wealth increases. Catholic Church brings brightest scholars together
start of residential university.
Result very fruitful intellectual life.
Toward end of period Pope launches Crusadesinto Middle East
Bring back valuablesincluding books
Aristotle returns to Europe Scholars translate him into Latin.
Leads to conflict between Church and EmergingScience.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
10/18
1600-1800s Enlightenment Period
Science gets fully launched
Empirical methods catch on cultural change!
Naturalists becoming scientists. Science shifts from cataloging to explaining.
Explanations mostly based on efficient
causation but some final causation persists.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
11/18
Modern Science
Late 1800s shift in who does science
From gentlemen naturalists to middle classpeople.
Consequences:
Increasing specialization Disciplines of scienceestablished.
Darwinlast of gentleman naturalists.
Scientific work becomes associated with Universities.
Funding shifts toward Government.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
12/18
Modern Science
Darwin deals final blow to final causation in
science.
Supernatural is not part of scientific inquiry
anymore.
Why Not?
These types of explanations did not lead to progressNaturalistic explanations did.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
13/18
examples
Treatment of diseases dramatically improved
when approached via naturalistic framework.
Development of more effective medicines
fueled by empirically-based experimentation.
Industrial revolution fueled by naturalistic
understanding of chemistry and physics.
Of all the Liberal Arts, Science is the only one that progresses
over time.
We expect our knowledge not
to just change but to improve.
And it does.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
14/18
Modern Science Prefers questions that are falsifiable.
Uses hypothesis testing to test ideas.
Empirical evidence can either support orreject a hypothesis science does notprove.
Results must be repeatable and public(not private revelation).
Develops Theories to bring sense to pilesof facts.
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
15/18
Whats wrong with this common
misconception?
Hypothesis
Theory
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
16/18
Role of Theories
Is an EXPLANATION a framework thatexplains a wide variety of facts &
phenomena. Explains patterns including the
mechanism driving the pattern.
Makes predictions of what will happenwhen you change a variable.
Predicts what other patterns/phenomenayou would expect to see but have not yet
observed.
What is the difference between a Theory and a
Hypothesis?
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
17/18
What do you have when you do your experiment
over and over and always gets the same result?
a. Your hypothesis is elevated to a Theory.b. You have the TRUTH.
c. You have established a Fact.
Often hypotheses are tested with EXPERIMENTS
-
8/22/2019 The Origins of Science - A Study in the History of Scientific Thought Throughout the Ages
18/18
Assumptions underlying modern
science:
The world exists and it is independent of our
perceptions.
The Universe/nature is structured in some
way and the principles underlying that
structure can be discovered and understood.
All phenomena have natural causes.
Nothing is self-evident. Truth claims must be
demonstrated objectively.