ITB 218E - History of Science and Tech.

Course Objectives

‘History of Science’ is a subject quite different from History. It is difficult to find a qualified teacher for this course, as each subject requires a good knowledge of scientific disciplines, the historical background, and the sources. I do not claim this status. The course gives an overview of the entire range of this history, while focusing on some points. The student will gain, we hope, a grasp of the subject, and a clearer idea of the achievements of Greek Science, Ibn Sina, the so-called Scientific Revolution, and even recent topics. On each occasion I will try to indicate how scientists and engineers can research and obtain their own results in the field of the History of Science.

Course Description

1. Technology and Manufacture in Ancient Babylon and Egypt.
2. Paper Manufacture in China and Central Asia.
3. Navigating by Nature: From the Pre-Socratics to Plato.
4. Aristotle’s Theory of the Natural Sciences.
5. Aristotelian Logic from Alexandria to Baghdad.
6. Aristotle Transformed: Ibn Sina.
7. Medieval Chemistry and Geology. Was Ibn Sina an Alchemist?
8. The Inner Senses from Nemesius to the 1001 Nights.
9. Thomas Aquinas Quotes Ibn Sina.
10. The Copernican Revolution. Success and Suppression in Renaissance Europe.
11. Nicolas Steno and His Forebears (Geology and Mineralogy).
12. The Circulation of the Blood.
13. Steam and the First Industrial Revolution.
14. The Age of Electricity.