In this survey of the history of Western science we will look at
scientific discoveries and revolutions in two different respects. On
the one hand, we will examine texts and practices that played a
significant role in the development of the natural sciences from
antiquity through the twentieth century. We will begin by looking at
how philosophers, astronomers and medical doctors in ancient Greece
approached and thought about the natural world; this will give us a
chance to consider what scientific thinking is and ask how it is
distinct from other ways of viewing the world. With this question in
mind we will read excerpts from key texts and examine how the ideas
in them were subsequently developed and challenged. Our second focus
in studying scientific revolutions is to examine how scientific
discoveries have compelled society to reevaluate its religious,
moral, and philosophical beliefs and values.

2nd 8 weeks