Ancient Technologies and the Greek Philosophers
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Ancient Technologies and the Greek Philosophers
PHIL (TBD)
How can we explain the origins of Greek philosophy? If we look at how the early philosophers thought and wrote, we find evidence of technologies and technical analogies to describe the origins of the world, the formation of the heavens, the fundamental structure out of which the cosmos is built. This evidence includes:
- orienting pyramids and temples to cardinal directions,
- measuring the height of pyramids by their shadows,
- measuring the distance of a ship at sea,
- ancient surveying and engineering techniques that led to geometry,
- making a map of the Earth,
- a seasonal sundial,
- a model of the cosmos,
- the invention of coinage,
- and even the production of industrial textiles.
This course will uncover these ancient technologies and then apply them to the surviving evidence about the Greek philosophers to see what new insights we can discover about the how, when, where, what, and why of its beginnings. From this exploration, can students become more philosophical?
