CoursesCourse 1
Why science began in Greece
This course argues that science wasn’t invented to be useful. It was how the Greeks shaped a particular kind of person: a free one. Follow the case, see where other scholars push back, and try the ideas yourself.
Start lesson 1Lessons
- 1 What is science for?Before asking why science began in Greece, we ask what science is, and what it does to the people who practice it.
- 2 Benevolence and freedomTwo civilizations, two ideals of what a person should become: humane within a web of family in China, and free in Greece.
- 3 Useless on purposeHow the Greek ideal of freedom produced a new kind of knowledge, one that answers only to itself.
- 4 Harmony, heaven, and the big questionMusic and the stars show the Greek method at work, and set up an answer to why science began in Greece and not in China.
You’ll be able to
- Explain the difference between science and technology, and why judging science only by its usefulness misses its origins.
- Compare the Confucian ideal of ren (humaneness) with the Greek ideal of freedom, and see how each shaped learning.
- Follow a Greek proof and a Chinese one, and say what really separated the two mathematical traditions.
- Weigh the cultural answer to “why not China?” against the views of other historians.
About this course
This course follows the four parts of a Chinese lecture series, 古希腊科学的人文起源 (The Humanistic Origins of Ancient Greek Science).
The series’ argument and examples lead. We add background for readers outside China, the views of other scholars where they differ, and hands-on activities. We say clearly which ideas come from the series and which are ours.