Difference between revisions of "History of science"
Jump to navigation
Jump to search
(ancient Greek philosophers tried to make sense of the natural world) |
(Aristotle's work in zoology was the grandest biological synthesis of the time) |
||
| Line 2: | Line 2: | ||
By a process of regular observation and classification, ancient Greek philosophers tried to make sense of the natural world. | By a process of regular observation and classification, ancient Greek philosophers tried to make sense of the natural world. | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Though Aristotle's work in zoology was not without errors, it was the grandest biological synthesis of the time, and remained the ultimate authority for many centuries after his death. His observations on the anatomy of octopus, cuttlefish, crustaceans, and many other marine invertebrates are remarkably accurate, and could only have been made from first-hand experience with dissection. Aristotle described the embryological development of a chick; he distinguished whales and dolphins from fish; he described the chambered stomachs of ruminants and the social organization of bees; he noticed that some sharks give birth to live young -- his books on animals are filled with such observations, some of which were not confirmed until many centuries later. [http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/aristotle.html] | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==External links== | ||
| + | *[http://www.ucmp.berkeley.edu/history/aristotle.html Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.)] - University of California Museum of Paleontology | ||
Revision as of 16:30, May 11, 2007
The history of science goes back into the dim and musty reaches of antiquity, when philosophers first began to speculate about what causes things to move and grow. At first, it was hardly distinguishable from mythology or superstition.
By a process of regular observation and classification, ancient Greek philosophers tried to make sense of the natural world.
- Though Aristotle's work in zoology was not without errors, it was the grandest biological synthesis of the time, and remained the ultimate authority for many centuries after his death. His observations on the anatomy of octopus, cuttlefish, crustaceans, and many other marine invertebrates are remarkably accurate, and could only have been made from first-hand experience with dissection. Aristotle described the embryological development of a chick; he distinguished whales and dolphins from fish; he described the chambered stomachs of ruminants and the social organization of bees; he noticed that some sharks give birth to live young -- his books on animals are filled with such observations, some of which were not confirmed until many centuries later. [1]
External links
- Aristotle (384-322 B.C.E.) - University of California Museum of Paleontology