intro Flashcards
Biology is the study of what/?
living things
biology as a term was coined by who?
french scientist Lamarck in 1802
What are the two branches of biology in early times?
medicine and natural history
The diciplins of history attempt to understand what?
human past
What are the subdivisions of history?
History of geographical or political entities Political history Military history Economic history Biography
What is historiography?
history of history how people interpret the past
intellectual history can be understood on the basis of two kinds of factors what are they?
internal and external factors
whig interpretation of history is what?
a process leading to one point that is now
Who coined the term “biology”? What other terms did he come up with?
Lamarck, who also came up with “invertebrate” and “biosphere”.
Before quite recently, how was the study of living things divided?
Divided into the separate fields of medicine and natural history.
What extra knowledge was required of physicians in the past that isn’t required today?
Botanical expertise (for use in medicine).
What were the 8 distinct subdivisions of historical study mentioned in lecture?
- Geographical
- Political
- Military
- Economic
- Biographical
- Artistic
- Cultural/Societal
- Intellectual (this is us!)
What term is used to describe the subdivision of history which studies the history of historical record?
Historiography
What 2 approaches are necessary for the study of intellectual history?
- Internal approach: know ideas, make connections
2. External approach: know the social milieu which led to the ideas
What 5 main reasons were given as motivations for studying history?
- Intellectual curiosity
- Expand imagination
- Guide future actions
- Connect with the past
- Guilty pleasure (only you Greg)
What 2 noteworthy political figures were talked about in lecture as being well versed in history?
Joseph Stalin (founder of USSR) and Winston Churchill (British PM during WW2).
What is meant by the “Whig interpretation of history”?
The tendency to see history as a process leading to a pinnacle of development (usually the current time).
What is a commonly used, but flawed approach to historical study?
Look at past ideas from modern perspective. Old ideas may seem dumb, but many arose from logical reasoning based on their understanding at the time.
What 4 general questions are at the root of biological inquiry?
- What living things are in the world?
- Where do organisms come from?
- How do organisms work?
- Why do offspring resemble their parents? Why are they different?
What 3 main factors have held scientists back from answering the question of “what living things are there in the world?”?
- Duplicates are common, and other categorization problems have arisen.
- Lack of evidence for discoveries
- Theology worked against science for a long time