Aristotle’s Science—Part 1

I’m reading a book entitled Debunking History: 152 Popular Myths Exploded. Its authors’ central theme is that commonly-accepted perceptions of historical events are often wrong. We come to believe a version of history that feels right—sometimes just because it’s been repeated so often. Or it is a simpler story of events than the complex reality. Or it fits the mindset of those who record history (which is written mostly by the winners).

Science is my background and I get fascinated by discovering the reality of scientific history—truths that either debunk accepted views or bring to light little-known incidents that steered science (and its part in human history) in the direction it eventually took. I also enjoy uncovering the truth about the foibles and humanness of well-known scientists of the past—people who are often misperceived as scrupulously ethical and dispassionate, as modeled by Mr. Spock on Star Trek; when they are often quite emotional and too often unprincipled.

An example of a revered ancient expert whose scientific contributions are often misunderstood is Aristotle. He is known and revered the world around as humanity’s first and greatest philosopher. He has often been referred to as simply “the philosopher.” No one’s reputation quite approaches Aristotle’s—and for good reason. The depth of his understanding in many fields of human knowledge was remarkable, and most of his penetrating insights into human behavior and conduct remain as valid as when he taught them, some 2300 years ago.

As a scientist, however, Aristotle’s legacy has been very problematic and even detrimental to our understanding of the natural world. In ancient Greece science (or physics) was called “natural philosophy.” Aristotle’s pronouncements on science were thus regarded as simply another branch of philosophy and his supreme reputation in philosophy brought unquestioned allegiance to his scientific teachings—most of which were simply wrong.

Prior to Aristotle’s entry on the Aegean scene (some 200-300 years before him), ancient Greece had been a thriving hotbed of learning. Pythagoras was at the center of the action then—achieving profound breakthroughs in mathematics and geometry. In fact, the word “philosophy” is Pythagorean in origin. Its archaic meaning is the love of and search for knowledge and wisdom. Pythagoras was the essence of a scientist: original in thought and meticulous in his observations. His ideas got exposed to experimental light, whenever possible. He laid the foundation for a rigorous kind of Greek science.

In the mode of Pythagoras, the duo of Aristarchus and Herakleides—both contemporaries of Aristotle—initiated the concept that the Earth and other planets revolved around the sun. This was a major departure from previous teachings of the Babylonians and Egyptians—whose more rudimentary observations and worldviews made them certain that Earth was at the center of it all. In contrast, Aristotle held to the older idea that we are at the center of the action and his reputation saw to it that his position prevailed.

More on Aristotle’s legacy next time…