Intro to History of Science and Technology

Introduction to History of Science and Technology

• Science originated from the Latin word "scientia," meaning knowledge, expertise, or experience.
• Science is the human attempt to understand the natural world, with or without practical applications.

Science

• Science involves discovering facts and relationships, and creating theories to explain them.
• Any system of knowledge concerned with the physical world and its phenomena, involving unbiased observations and systematic expressions.
• Science is based on the premise that our senses and instruments can provide accurate information about the universe.
• The scientific method follows specific rules, and results are always subject to testing and revision.
• Science often benefits from creativity and imagination.

Scientific Method

• Science is the system of knowledge of the natural world gained through the scientific method.

Division of Science

• The natural taxonomy of empirical sciences divides into three basic groups:
  • Physical Sciences (Physics, Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology, Metallurgy)
  • Biological Sciences (Zoology, Botany, Genetics, Paleontology, Molecular Biology, Physiology)
  • Psychological Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Anthropology, and Economics)

Technology

• Technology is the human attempt to change the world by creating products that can help people.
• Technology involves tools, techniques, and procedures for applying scientific findings.
• Greek words "techne" and "logia" mean "art or craft" and "subject or interest," respectively.

Interaction Between Science and Technology

• Science explores for the purpose of knowing, while technology explores for the purpose of making something useful from that knowledge.
• Science drives technology by making new technologies possible through scientific breakthroughs.
• Engineers focus on using science to develop products.
• Without technology, some science experiments would not be possible, and without science, technology could not proceed.

Role of Science and Technology

• Alter the way people live, connect, communicate, and transact, with profound effects on economic development.
• Key drivers of development, underpinning economic advances, improvements in health systems, education, and infrastructure.
• The technological revolutions of the 21st century are emerging from new sectors, based on microprocessors, telecoms, biotechnology, and more.
• Transformative products are changing how businesses operate and impacting people's lives.
• Have the power to better the lives of poor people in developing countries.
• Differentiators between countries that can tackle poverty effectively by growing and developing their economies.

The Alchemist

• Alchemy wasn't a practice of magic, but rather an experimentally skilled and theoretical pursuit of understanding and answering the question "what is matter?"
• The field of chemistry came from the word "alchemy," which may mean "black earth," symbolizing the rich and fertile lands of Egypt.
• Alchemists wrote books using allegorical codes and used "Decknamen" (code words) to conceal their knowledge.
• Alchemical practices focused on transmutation, or changing materials into new forms, with two kinds of alchemical metals: noble and base.
• Alchemy spread globally, influenced by different cultures, including Asian, Indian, and Middle-eastern cultures.

The Decline of Alchemy

• Alchemy had to choose between "being science" or "being a religion" during the 16th to 18th century, and it chose to "be science."

Explore the origins and definition of science, its purpose, and how it attempts to understand the natural world through discovery and theory creation.