"The brilliance of the creators of the scientific revolution is revealed not only in their repudiation of the past and creation of theoretical novelties, but also in their ability to re-deploy inherited scientific ideas, theories, assumption, methodologies, instrumentation, and data, and put them to new theoretical use" (p. 367)
"Middle Ages was a scientific dark age."
"Human didn't have real science until the modern era"
I believe we have heard something like this before. Not until recently, people started thinking differently to the dark period, "maybe there were something important happened during that time", "maybe there were something worth studying".
In "The Beginnings of Western Science: The European Scientific Tradition in Philosophical, Religious, and Institutional Context, Prehistory to A.D. 1450", David C. Lindberg provides another way to look at history of science before the modern era.
In the 400 something pages, his discussion starts from pre-literature era to 15th Century. He discusses about theories, philosophies, astronomy, and all things that human before 15th century believed and used to reveal the fact of life and universe. He explains theories of all well-known philosophers such as Plato, Aristotle, and Galen. He also mentions about some other people who had great influences on our history of science but we may have never heard about before. All the details he talks about, I think he is trying to tell us that, "Hey! see? ancient people were not stupid and what they were doing were so science!"
For me, his argument is convincing. Celestial theories, theology, and miracles may not sound scientific for us. But for those in the past who didn't have modern tools and theories, their observations and hypotheses were amazing. With their naked eyes and bare hands, they found that there were stars moving around us, there were atoms that caused physical changes, there were celestial energy that causes diseases, etc. Although, modern discoveries have proved those believes wrong, they were foundation of our scientific advancement today.
He is an active writer. I feel like he is talking to me and arguing with me many times. His humors make reading more enjoyable. His language and style helps me to survive the long reading and gain a better understand of history.
A minor comment, my friends think the author doesn't talk much about politics and institutions. He should give more weight on the factors which were also significant for our history.
Over all, he did a great job. I give 8 from 10 for this Lindburg's book.
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