Another important aspect of the ancient science outlook is related to the manner in which unorthodox points of view were received and dealt with. It too has its powerful vestiges in our own times. Toleration of unorthodox ideas was rarely a salient feature of many ancient societies. When the Greek sophist Protagoras expressed his doubts…
Many effective methods for curing diseases were developed in ancient cultures. However, the physical bases of diseases were not as clearly understood in ancient times. Many ancient views on diseases were related to the supernatural, to curses, and to lack of grace from the Providence. Most cures for diseases included magical oral formulas also. So…
Closely related to astrology and magic was the practice of the occult which was another feature of ancient science. The word occult is derived from Latin, meaning hidden or concealed. It refers to aspects of the world that are not directly perceptible either to the ordinary senses or to our everyday intelligence. More importantly, it…
In everyday usage, magic refers to a trick or a clever illusion. But the term has a more serious connotation in the framework of ancient science. It refers to practices whose aim is to influence people and events without direct or obvious means. Magic has a rich history. It was an intrinsic component of ancient…
One of the most universal of ancient beliefs was astrology. The Chaldeans are sometimes said to have been the first to suspect that the sun, the moon, the planets and the constellations of stars affect human life and destiny, but most scholars would agree with what Otto Neugebauer wrote decades ago, that “we know equally…
We all have our views on the world, on life, and on issues. If we trace their origins we will find that they have resulted, for the most part, from our interactions with others through our personal and cultural environment. These include parents, teachers, and friends, as well as the books and newspapers we read,…
Science, in the sense of serious efforts to understand and explain the world, has existed in all cultures. The ancients offered explanations for natural phenomena and for origins. Sometimes their explanations were in terms of invisible beings. Sometimes they were in terms of non-anthropomorphic forces and principles like water, fire, and breath. Technology has also…
We are apt to fall victims to three kinds of errors in our evaluation of scientific achievements. These may be called temporal error, cultural error, and nostalgic error. Temporal error consists in the impression that our generation is somehow superior to previous ones, because in matters of scientific understanding we know a lot more. It…
When we look at the heavens on a clear moonlit night, the twinkling stars and the silvery moon seem to be staring at us. Some acquaintance with astronomy might make us reflect on the incredible distances that separate us from the celestial bodies. We may have heard, for example, that the Pole Star, which is…
Though the vast majority of people accept without much reflection or questioning the assertions of traditional religious texts and preachers regarding the transcendental principle, the hereafter, reincarnation, day of judgment, etc., quite a few have often doubted if all this is really true. In other words, people have doubted some of the details in the…