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Proposal for a series of 4 lectures (90 min each)
Understanding Ancient Greek Science
Dr. Jonas Ciurlionis
Department of Philosophy
Vilnius University
[email protected]
In this series of lectures I am going to show that the doctrine of four elements is an essential idea upon
which Ancient Greek scientific thinking is based. The four elements are not only the key concepts for
Ancient Greek natural sciences, responsible for basic ideas in biology, chemistry, thermodynamics,
theories of motion in physics and cosmology. They also form a core structure for understanding human
nature, both physical and psychological. The whole science of Ancient Greek medicine and treatment
of diseases is based on this understanding. However, the treatment of the physical body is based not on
empirical observation and elimination of symptoms but on the metaphysical concept of treatment of the
disorder of elements. Moreover, this concept stretches beyond the boundaries of any part of the
physical world and enters a transcendental metaphysical realm, where it is essential for understanding
the order of Being itself. Therefore, the four elements cannot be interpreted as being purely physical.
This is well illustrated with their association with geometry and geometrical forms in the writings of
Plato and others. Thus the transformation of the elements into each other must be understood also as a
geometrical transformation of forms and cannot be simply reduced to different aggregation states. This
idea leads to an understanding of Ancient Greek mathematics in association with the four elements and
therefore being not separate from physics and metaphysics as parts of a general world view. While this
is more obvious with geometry, it nevertheless applies to arithmetics, too. Therefore, it is necessary to
leave the modern notion of “pure mathematics” behind the door of the World of Antiquity. Geometry
and arithmetics serve not only as instruments for calculation, or land measurement (or, in other words,
as tools of τέχνη), but also as a foundation for metaphysics and ἐπιστήμη which is the more important
function of these sciences. As Plato states in his “Laws”, wisdom cannot be achieved without learning
geometry and arithmetics. Now, if we consider Ancient Greek notion of space which is based on
Eleatic and Euclidean thought, we will see that the concept of the four elements plays a significant role
here, too. Directions of space, geometrical ideas of figure transformations, space shape, κόσμοϛ – all
might be linked to this concept. At the same time it also applies to basic metaphysical concepts of
Sameness and Identity, Difference, Oneness.
While one may argue that the concept of four elements which comes from the philosophy of
Empedocles (or presumably earlier Ionian and Eleatic philosophers) influenced Plato and Aristotle, we
can clearly see the important individual development of this concept in the philosophical systems of
both Great Athenians. With his Pythagorean influence Plato connects the four elements with art,
mainly music. Also, both of them (and including also Anaxagoras) develop the idea of the fifth element
based on the notion of the four. In such a manner the four elements as well as the fifth notion of the
ether start playing crucial role in Western cosmology for many hundred years. While with the rise of
the Scientific Revolution the significance of the four elements in science starts to decline and becomes
rather a key for the studies of para-scientific disciplines such as alchemy or astrology, it still reappears
in some scientific and metaphysical doctrines. Moreover, it also often serves as the foundation for the
development of scientific ideas and discoveries. For example, Johannes Kepler or Isaac Newton still
base their work on such concept and ideas.
1. Lecture One. Introduction. The idea of four elements in Ancient Greek Thought - where does it
come from? Basic foundations of Greek philosophy. From Physic to Metaphysics. The idea of Cosmos.
Pre- Socratic philosophy. Aristotle
2. Lecture Two. Physics. The idea of motion. Void and Space. Time. Physics of four elements. Thermo
Cosmology. Aristotle. Ptolemy. John Philoponus
3. Lecture Three. Medicine. The concept of the four elements in Medicine. Disease and Treatment.
Understanding the human body. Physiology and Psychology. Hippocrates. Galen. Dioscorides.
4. Lecture Four. Mathematics. Arithmetics and Geometry. The concept of number. Transformation of
geometrical figures. Squaring the Circle. Infinity vs. finite. Identity, Sameness and Difference. Plato.
Archimedes. Euclides. Heron. Hypathia