History of Science: Antiquity to 1700
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History of Science: Antiquity to 1700
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Narrated by:
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Lawrence M. Principe
About this listen
For well over 2,000 years, much of our fundamental "desire to know" has focused on science. Our commitment to science and technology has been so profound that these stand as probably the most powerful influences on human culture. To truly understand our Western heritage, our contemporary society, and ourselves as individuals, we need to know what science is and how it developed.
In this 36-lecture series, one of science's most acclaimed teachers takes you through science's complex evolution of thought and discovery, often originating from ideas that by today's technological perspective might be considered ridiculous or humorous, although many are still relevant today. You'll consider science's often fascinating history, from ancient times to the Scientific Revolution, in terms of several penetrating questions, including two of special importance: Who pursued science, and why? What happened, and why?
In the hands of Professor Principe, the history of science becomes far more than just a litany of dates, significant individuals, and breakthrough discoveries. In examining the evolution of science, he restores the vitally important context that has been lost from the discussion, showing how science is characterized by ideas that link eras widely separated in time. A primary theme is the relationship between science and religion. Today, we tend to see the two as separate and even antagonistic. Theology, in fact, is a principal motivator for scientific inquiry. And in the Middle Ages, Christianity and Islam were of paramount importance in preserving and furthering scientific knowledge.
PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2002 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2002 The Great CoursesListeners also enjoyed...
What listeners say about History of Science: Antiquity to 1700
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- B F.
- 22-12-18
Good history of Astronomy and Tech Sci
As a Physicist, I loved this history of Astronomy and Science. I did think it was a little Western bias. Nothing about East Asian Chemistry or South American technical building. Although it touched on Biology, very little in the way of the history of medicine.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Dublin listener
- 13-06-23
Masterful and comprehensive. Highly recommended
Big fan of the Great Courses series on audible. The lecturer specialises in the history of science and it shows. His enthusiasm shines through. His ability to put the everchanging scientific knowledge in the context of the day (whether religion or cultural or war) helps us understand how it developed. One of my favourite listens so far.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- zoltan csete
- 17-02-21
best ever history of scientific education ever
my conclusion in the end that without religion constant interference we would achieved much more.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 28-10-19
Good, but easy to get a bit lost in
Really enjoyed this series. The only thing I would possibly change is to add in a little more of a recap at the end of the larger time period topics. I listen for approx. an hour a day, and found I sometimes felt a bit lost.
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Overall2 out of 5 stars
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- Dean P. D'souza
- 27-12-22
A Christian perspective on the history of science
Based on some of the things the author said, I soon realised that he is a Christian. So I looked him up and found out that he won an award by a Christian society for this course. I'm guessing he is Catholic. But maybe I'm just being too suspicious! The author does a magnificent job of explaining how history is about context, including the history of science, and a large part of that context is religion or theology. But the author seems to go too far (for me). He makes it sound like the main thing in the history of science is religion. If you want a more focused history of science, I would suggest the book by Steven Weinberg called 'To explain the world'. It doesn’t bother with things like magic and religion, except when they are directly related to science. Weinberg is probably an atheist, but both Weinberg and Principe both discuss the exact same things - the only difference is that Principe adds a lot of stuff on religion, alchemy, and magic, which don't always seem directly related to the history of science (not as much as other cultural and social and political and geographical factors) , and Principe always tries to explain how important religion is to the history of science. Me thinks he doth try too hard! In sum, it's not a bad book, but Weinberg's book seems more focused on the big factors and doesn't try to shoehorn religion in every chance he gets. Unfortunately, Weinberg's book is not on audible, you have to get the paperback book!
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