henry smith william vol 1

7/31/2019 Henry Smith William Vol 1

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I. 'Pre-Scientific' Thought:

A. Frankfort's view of myth:1. A subjective mode of explanation/description of Nature, basedon an 'I-Thou' intimacy with Nature; hence, a highly individualapproach to phenomena concentrating on specific aspectsrather than general patterns.a. This approach was decisively overturned by the Pre-Socraticswho developed a supposedly objective 'I-It' relation with Nature.

B. Giorgio de Santillana's view of myth:1. Many myths seem global in character, indicating that, in spiteof vast geographical separation, various cultures wereattempting to explain a 'shared experience'.a. This shared experience was a comprehension of large cosmicevents such as the precession of the equinoxes.

b. The capability of 'primitive' cultures to comprehend suchevents is indicated, if Gerald Hawkins is right, by Stonehenge.

BC


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A single element


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No account was made for the One fourth day


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Practical knowledge of a physician Practical science is the essential caracteristics of the

Egyptian Science

But . . . . . . .


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or

The people are known as

Conquered by

Conquered subsequently by

But he could not understand or read the language however . . . .


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Surpassed the Eqyptian ( although it is widely held it is the Asiatics)

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Many have reached the western world and are still practiced


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II. Egyptians and Babylonians:A. Mathematics1. The Egyptians seem to have been quite primitive inarithmetic, depending on the method of duplication both formultiplication and division. Moreover, by insisting on expressingcomplex fractions in unit-fraction series, they had no capabilityof dealing effectively with fractional computation. Geometry wasperhaps more sophisticated in Egypt but was still at a crudelevel according to our evidence.

a. The Egyptians were individual-problem oriented. They madeno apparent attempt to derive general cases, theorems, orproofs.2. The Babylonians, because of their sexagesimal computationalsystem (with its Place-Value Notation) as well as their simple,two-symbol numbering system, were so adept at arithmeticalprocedures as to be able to solve types of quadratic, quartic,etc., equations. Consequently geometry was not well developed.a. The Babylonians do appear to have initiated a case-studyapproach to arithmetic by discussing general problems, but they

did not develop a systematic approach like that of the Greeks.B. Astronomy:1. Egyptian astronomy was generally primitive except for areasonably sophisticated emphasis on calendrics andsubsequent attempts to reconcile solar and lunar cycles. TheEgyptians developed the 365 day year as well as the 24 hourday.


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2. Babylonian astronomy was more moon-oriented thanEgyptian astronomy and was consequently more involved witheclipse cycles, etc. Through totally arithmetic means theBabylonians were able to construct tables which demonstrated arecognition of recurring, patterned variations (for example, thezig-zag function).

a. The Babylonians did not, however, develop any knowncosmological model to systematize their observations or derivedtables.C. Medicine:1. Both the Egyptians and Babylonians, at least in the earlystages, seem to have been empirical in their approach tosurgery and pharmacological lore. However, the laterBabylonians (that is, Assyrians) tended to combine medicinemore and more with the abstract "science" of astrology.

henry smith william vol 1

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