1. History and Civilization
Faghrie Mitchell
BCB 703:
Scientific Methodology

2. What is History? What is Science? What is Philosophy?

3. What is History?
What is History?

4. What is Science?
What is Science?

5. What is Philosophy?
What is Philosophy?

6. What is Curiosity? What is Curiosity?
Almost in the beginning was curiosity. Asimov’s New Guide to Science (Asimov 1987)

7. Early Man: Curiosity to Science
Early Man: Curiosity  Science H I S T O R Y
CURIOSITY
EXPLORATION
DISCOVERY
SCIENCE

8. Ancient Egypt: Curiosity to Science
Ancient Egypt: Curiosity  Science
Osprey

9. Ancient Egypt: Evolution of the Pyramids
Djoser BC
Step Pyramid Saqqara, Egypt
Djoser BC
Snefru BC
Cheops/Khufu BC

10. Ancient Egypt: Evolution of the Pyramids
Snefru BC
Intermediate Pyramid
Maidum, Egypt
Djoser BC
Snefru BC
Cheops/Khufu BC

11. Ancient Egypt: Evolution of the Pyramids
Cheops/Khufu BC
Smooth Pyramids
Giza, Egypt
Djoser BC
Snefru BC
Cheops/Khufu BC

12. Why show the Evolution of the Pyramids?
Did the ancient Egyptians have science 
To build a pyramid you need to have knowledge and skills about stone and rock
E.g. how much stone, how many men to cut and move the stone, etc (quantity surveying)
E.g. how do I find good quality stone, how do I move the stone (geology and engineering (mathematics))
Evolution of pyramids is an example of the evolution of ancient Egyptian science
Djoser
Step BC
Snefru
Intermediate BC
Cheops/Khufu
Smooth BC
Ref: Shaw (2003)

13. Why show the Evolution of the Pyramids?
Did the ancient Egyptians have evolving science 
Ancient Egyptians had to improve their building techniques going from Step to Intermediate to Smooth pyramid (increasing difficulty and challenge of building a smooth pyramid)
The Intermediate pyramid at Maidum could be seen as a prototype pyramid
The Maidum pyramid is speculated to have been either abandoned, or to have collapsed because of the slope of the pyramid
The lessons learnt from this pyramid and previous pyramids were: (1) to build on rock instead of sand and (2) to tilt the stone blocks inward to stabilise the pyramid (see next slide)
Djoser
Step BC
Snefru
Intermediate BC
Cheops/Khufu
Smooth BC
Images:

14. Why show the Evolution of the Pyramids?
Snefru
Intermediate BC
Cheops/Khufu
Smooth BC

15. Why show the Evolution of the Pyramids?
Did the ancient Egyptians have science 
Did the ancient Egyptians have evolving science 
Did the ancient Egyptians have philosophy of science ???
So you do not need to have PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE to have SCIENCE? YES and NO
Ref:

16. Why show the Evolution of the Pyramids?
So you do not need to have PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE to have SCIENCE? YES and NO
MYTHOLOGY
RELIGION
DOGMA
SCIENCE
can
MYTHOLOGY
RELIGION
DOGMA
can
SCIENCE
PHILOSOPHY
SCIENCE
PHILOSOPHY
can
Ref:

17. Why show the Evolution of the Pyramids?
Conversely, you also have three similar paths, leading to NONSCIENCE, instead of SCIENCE
MYTHOLOGY
RELIGION
DOGMA
NONSCIENCE
can
MYTHOLOGY
RELIGION
DOGMA
can
NONSCIENCE
PHILOSOPHY
NONSCIENCE
PHILOSOPHY
can
Ref:

18. Ancient Egyptian Medicine
The Evolution of pyramids serve to show that the ancient Egyptians had SCIENCE. I will now show a clearer example, to show ancient Egyptian SCIENCE and NONSCIENCE
SCIENCE
MYTHOLOGY
RELIGION
DOGMA
can
NONSCIENCE
can
Example: Ancient Egyptian Medicine
Ref:

19. Ancient Egyptian Medicine
Example: Ancient Egyptian Medicine
Some of the oldest scientific artifacts
Edwin Smith papyrus (c 1600BC), 22 pages which deals mainly with the treatment of wounds
Ebers papyrus (c1550BC), 110 pages which contains 700 magical formulas and remedies
Wikipedia
Ref: Wikipedia, Crystalinks

20. Ancient Egyptian Medicine
Out of the Edwin Smith and the Ebers Papyruses, one can draw examples of SCIENCE and NONSCIENCE (of which I will list only a few)
SCIENCE
Use of ox liver, to treat night blindness (
Use of honey as antibiotic on open wounds (
Half an onion and the froth of beer as a remedy against death
Use of lettuce or castor oil for alopecia
NONSCIENCE
Ref:Wikipedia

21. Impression of Ancient Egyptians
So, they got some right, some wrong. Pretty impressive though to have a structure (Giza pyramid) still standing after more than 4,000 years (c2500BC-2000AD)
Coming back to the earlier point: There is no evidence available to say that the ancient Egyptians had a philosophy of science.
So how could they establish themselves one of the great ancient civilisations?
A civilisation, like the ancient Egytians, endures and maintains itself because it: (1) solves practical problems (feeding and defending its people) and (2) puts in place a form of government able to preserve it.
So, science and governance, not philosophy, are needed to have a developed culture or civilisation.
Ref:Robinson

22. Impression of Ancient Egyptians
A more important point relates to: “So, they got some right, some wrong.”
How do we maximize right and minimize wrong?
Or rather, How do we maximize SCIENCE and minimize NONSCIENCE?
Ref:epnet

23. Summary: Ancient Egyptians
Summary of section on ancient Egyptians
The two points made in the preceding slides, effectively summarise this section
I have covered the first path so far (striked out). I will combine the second and third paths, and discuss them as if they are one
MYTHOLOGY
RELIGION
DOGMA
SCIENCE
can
MYTHOLOGY
RELIGION
DOGMA
can
SCIENCE
PHILOSOPHY
SCIENCE
PHILOSOPHY
can
Ref:

24. Chapter Conclusion Chapter 1 Review of Human Evolution
Chapter 2 History and Civilization
Next
Chapter 3 Philosophy of Science
Chapter 4 To be announced
Chapter 5 To be announced
Chapter 6 To be announced
Chapter 7 To be announced
Chapter 8 To be announced
Chapter 9 To be announced
I hope that you found chapter 2 informative, and that you enjoy chapter 3.

25. Chapter 1 Review of Human Evolution Chapter 2 History and Civilization
Next
Chapter 2 History and Civilization
Chapter 3 Philosophy of Science
Chapter 4 To be announced
Chapter 5 To be announced
Chapter 6 To be announced
Chapter 7 To be announced
Chapter 8 To be announced
Chapter 9 To be announced
I hope that you found chapter 1 informative, and that you enjoy chapter 2.