HIS 276 Reflection 2

The history of science includes the evolution of various aspects of science, including methodology, technology, and knowledge. Experimentation and empiricism date back to ancient science, where the Babylonians heavily relied on pure observation to make assumptions about time and fate, describing the field of astrology. Observation also goes back to native science for more practical pursuits, such as studying plants and animals. Reasoning began to develop when the Chinese and Indians studied medicine, although their reasoning was still intertwined with spiritual beliefs and displayed inaccuracies. The Scientific Revolution is where science transitions from premodern to modern, due to the great advancements in technology and shifts in how scientists arrived at conclusions. The purpose of experimentation is to manipulate variables and gather data, for it to be interpreted later. However, the usefulness of data is directly affected by its accuracy. The utilization of the telescope was one of the most notable breakthroughs in technology during the Scientific Revolution, allowing Galileo to make great discoveries about the universe. The use of mathematics was also pioneered during the Scientific Revolution by Galileo also led to a major shift in methods used to come to conclusions. Galileo was able to discover that the distance traveled in freefall was proportional to times squared, which is consistent with modern science. The advancement of technology contributes to improving experimentation while the use of mathematical reasoning contributes to scientific reasoning overall, arguably the two most important aspects of the modern Scientific Method. Many discoveries in numerous fields of scientific study have been achieved through following the Scientific Method, which is why it is important to understand the history of science as it provides insight into the process of making scientific discoveries and thinking scientifically.

This course is most relevant to the development of various modern natural sciences, such as chemistry and physics, for me as a medical biology major. It highlights the importance of experimentation in chemistry, especially when considering the connection between alchemy and chemistry. Alchemy is often seen as separate from modern chemistry because it was explained by magic. However, the experimentation and practice of alchemy in a laboratory-like setting is similar to how much of modern chemistry is practiced today. Understanding Galileo and Newton’s history and methods of arriving at their conclusions also provides a deeper understanding of the field of physics. In general, modern physics involves lots of calculations to solve problems, similar to how Galileo and Newton utilized mathematical reasoning to establish principles that we abide by today.