History and Philosophy of Science: Origin of Science

Origin of Science

Prepared by: Larry J. Sultiz

HPS

How SCIENCE originated?

Rodney StarkProfessor

American sociologist of religion.

He is distinguished Professor of the Social Sciences at BaylorUniversity, co-director of the university's Institute for Studies ofReligion.

Videoclip for Creation

The rise of science did not take occur in the ancient world, but only as the natural outgrowth of Christian doctrine.

According to Rodney Stark:

The Christian God created nature; nature exists because God created it.

To love and honor God, His people must study the wonders of His handiwork. Men in the monasteries of 6th century Europe began to think about the verse in Psalm 148.

“He hath established the earth by an everlasting decree.”

He hath also established them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass.

Psalm 148:6

Let them praise the name of the LORD: for He commanded and they were created.

Psalm 148:5

Europeans' faith in God led them to explore His works on the Earth, thus creating science.

Thinking about this and the whole theme of God’s righteousnessgave them faith that God had ordered all of nature.

So, a great search for order began, and the scientific method ofexperimenting and measuring began.

The result, for the first time in the history of the world, was:

Astronomyinstead of astrology

Chemistryinstead of alchemy.

Science as we know it today began when some Christian men abandoned their doctrine that the routine operation of the universe required the continuous active involvement of God.

That meant they could study cause and effect, since the effect didn't depend on the whim of God.

From that point, they decided to try to understand how theuniverse works.

The motive was to glorify the God they believed created it. Inmost cases, they used their own personal / family wealth, withsome support from the church.

Origin of Science is associated with names like:

Copernicus Kepler Galileo Newton

Copernicusmathematician and astronomer

Formulated a model of the universe that placed the Sun rather than the Earth at its center.

Johanne Keplermathematician, astronomer and astrologer

He is best known for his laws of planetary motion, based on his works.

Galileo GalileiItalian physicist, mathematician, engineer, astronomer, and philosopher

Played a major role in the scientific revolution during the Renaissance.

Isaac NewtonEnglish physicist and mathematician

Widely recognised as one of the most influential scientists of all time.

Until approximately 1500, the following were more highly developed than in the West:

In Islam

mathematics medicinegeometric optics

astronomy

But science was not institutionalized in Islamic society.Nor was it institutionalized in ancient and medieval China,despite significant achievements.

Similar arguments apply to all other societies andcivilizations. Science can be found in many of them but wasinstitutionalized and perpetuated in none.

Astronomy

Biology

Botany

Chemistry

Ecology

Evolution

Geology

Geophysics

Palaeontology

Physics

Natural Science

Algebra

Calculus

Combinatorics

Geometry

Logic

Probability

Statistics

Trigonometry

Mathematics

Anthropology

Economics

Geography

Linguistics

Political science

Psychology

Sociology

Sustainability

Social Sciences

Agricultural Science

Computer Science

Materials Science

Engineering

Technology

Human medicine Veterinary medicine

Anatomy

Neuroscience

Neurology

Nutrition

Pathology

Pharmacy

Medicine

Is a body of empirical, theoretical and practicalknowledge about the natural world, produced by scientists whoemphasize the observation, explanation, and prediction of realworld phenomena.

SCIENCE

The English word scientist is relatively recent

—first coined by William Whewell in the 19th century.

Previously, people investigating nature called themselves as:

Trivia!

natural philosophers

History and Philosophy of Science

Professor Lalaine G. Sariana