St. Petersburg, 2016

Lecture 2. Pre-Modern Science Alexander A. Lvov, PhD camenes@yandex.ru St. Petersburg, 2016

Agenda Science in the early states of East Science in Antiquity (а): the principles of theoretical knowledge Science in Antiquity (b): «knowledge» VS «opinion» Science in Middle Ages: from the dogmas of religion to the universities’ autonomy

Science in the early states of East Pre-scientific knowledge could be defined as the archaic way of thinking, or ethnical science. It is quite complicated and vast, and It contains such achievements as complex numeral systems, calendars, nature observation and the sets of astronomic, geographic, medical, technical knowledge. Such a knowledge existed within the oral tradition and was maintained by rituals and practice. Science in the early states of East Ancient China; Ancient India; Ancient Egypt; Mesopotamia

Science in the early states of East Characteristics of science of the early states: Closed groups that possess knowledge; Religious elements in knowledge; Demand for practice (prescription in knowledge); Variety of unsystematized data Science in the early states of East

the knowledge as a whole system with a complete set of positions Science in Antiquity (а): the principles of theoretical knowledge φρόνησις the knowledge of the proper and not proper, to put it, a form of practical wisdom γνώσις the knowledge as a whole system with a complete set of positions Knowledge ἐπιστήμη the study of something, or learning of something: we could probably call it science in terms of the set of positions and rules in this precise field μάθημα the knowledge of something that could be taught, for instance, how to count

Thales of Miletus (640/624 – 548/545 BC) Pythagoras of Samos Science in Antiquity (а): the principles of theoretical knowledge Thales of Miletus (640/624 – 548/545 BC) Pythagoras of Samos (540 – 490 BC)

Hippocrates (c. 460 – 377/356 BC) Euclid (IV BC) Science in Antiquity (а): the principles of theoretical knowledge Hippocrates (c. 460 – 377/356 BC) Euclid (IV BC)

Science in Antiquity (а): the principles of theoretical knowledge Interrelation of temperaments of people and nature in terms of Hippocrates In Hippocrates’s work “On the nature of man” we find “theoretical completion, a genuine scheme which organizes the medical experience” (G. Reale, D. Antiseri)

Two kinds of thought in Greek philosophy Science in Antiquity (b): «knowledge» VS «opinion» Two kinds of thought in Greek philosophy δόξα Empirical, unproven half-knowledge of transient and becoming ἐπιστήμη Theoretical, proven learning of the true state of things

Thales Anaxagoras Socrates Plato Academy Aristotle Science in Antiquity (b): «knowledge» VS «opinion» Seven sages Thales Eleatic school (Parmenides and Zeno) Ionic School (also Heraclitus) Pythagoras and Pythagoreans Anaxagoras Sophists and Socrates Democritus Cynics Socratic schools (in Megara, Elis, Cyrene) Plato Epicureans Sceptics Stoics Academy Aristotle and peripatetics Neoplatonists

The main epistemological milestones: Science in Middle Ages: from the dogmas of religion to the universities’ autonomy The scientific knowledge of Middle Ages is represented by the terms doctrina and scientia (see M. Heidegger “Die Zeit des Weltbildes”) The Divine revelation is the source of any knowledge; Medieval science is authoritative knowledge; The means of knowledge is the interpretation of the Holy Scripture (hermeneutics) The main epistemological milestones: The problem of universals; The dogma of Filioque; St. Thomas Aquinas’s ‘Christianization’ of Aristotle

Medieval physics (of Aristotle – Aquinas) Science in Middle Ages: from the dogmas of religion to the universities’ autonomy Medieval physics (of Aristotle – Aquinas) Metaphysical world of causes and immobility God as primum mobile Physical world of motion and becoming

Science in Middle Ages: from the dogmas of religion to the universities’ autonomy

Alchemy and Hermeticism Science in Middle Ages: from the dogmas of religion to the universities’ autonomy Alchemy and Hermeticism The word ‘Hermeticism’ comes from the name of Hermes Trismegistus, the legendary magus and wizard of ancient times. On the one hand, Hermes was considered to be the author of various alchemic treatises (the tradition of authority)… …on the other, there appears the tendency to experimental science (Roger Bacon, Paracelsus, John Dee, etc.)

The example of the examination task: How to deal with the examination task The example of the examination task: Develop the concept of anthropocentrism and its connection to the classical science and studies of nature in XVII—XVIII centuries. Possible answer: Anthropocentrism: the human being gives order and law to the world. — Experimental attitude to the scientific study of the world. — The secularization of knowledge (the Book of nature has been written in the mathematical language). — The appearance of classical science of XVII century: Copernicus, Galileo, Newton. — The phenomenon of science as studies of nature by the means of mathematics. — Newton’s laws make possible to create the picture of the world without any hypotheses of God. — Truth as certainty. (7 statements) Possible key words: Modern anthropocentrism; Ancient cosmocentrism; Medieval theocentricism: experiment; secularization; mathematical means in science; truth as certainty; scientific picture of the world; the doctrine of method; classical science.

Thank you for your attention! camenes@yandex.ru aspirantura@mail.ifmo.ru St. Petersburg, 2016