The Ancient World Pt 1 Flashcards
Who is broadly credited for inventing science and scientific curiosity? what?
Greek philosophers, natural historians, physicians
what is science?
An explanation that is more than facts, and not supernatural. Rational.
What are the attributes of the Greek Character that were uncommon among other civilizations? (6)
Humanism: center of interest was people and not devine world
Rationalism: Logic
Curiosity: How world works
Individualism: descent from majority beliefs
Pursuit of excellenece: competition and winning
Love of freedom: For men greek civilization
What assumptions did the Greeks make about the world and its study?
There is hidden order underlying the natural world, and this order is innate, and not imposed from outside nature by gods and this order can be discerned by the human mind
The greeks tried to find natural causes by things of two means
1) active investigation
2) reason and observation
Why did Greeks discard religious and supernatural explanations of the world?
the greek religion had no complete, systematic explination of the world
the greek gods took little interest in the world and its people
the greek gods had human characteristics and faults
priests did not dominate greek civilization
Who were the main philosophers of the Milesian school?
Thales of miletus (main founder) Anaximander, and Anaimenes.
What happened to the writings of Thales, Anaximander, and Anaimenes?
Thales left no writings and perhaps was illiterate. But some of his views, and the views of Anaximander and anaximenes, were put down in the historical record by Aristotle in his book metaphysics
Thales Dates
650-580 BC
Who did later Greek Philosophers regard as the first natural philospher?
Thales
what were Thales teaching? (3)
the earth is a disc surrounded on all sides by water
water is the beginning of all things, the fundamental element out of which all else is made
the forces that cause change in matter are consolidation and expansion
according to Thales what were earthquakes?
the water being disturbed around the earth disc
according to thales teachings why were shells in the soil?
shells in the soil meant that the dirt used to be water
because of what the Milesian can lay a claim to have invented science?
their naturalism and their ideas on the unity of matter
Who was Empedocles? What are his dates?
492-432 BC
Philospher, materialist and had a casual view of nature. Created the 4 element model
Empedocles and Thales shared what common views?
materialist and causal views
What is the four element model?
Fire, air, water, and earth compose everything
These elements combine and dissociate because of two forces: love and hate
What was Empodeocles biology relating to blood and evolution of animals?
- we think primarily with our blood, because the four elements are most evenly mingled in blood
- animals have evolved overtime from bizarre ancestors. Original ancestors came from separate limbs, torsos, and heads that arose from earth and randomly combined