The Genesis of Science: The Story of Greek Imagination by Bertman, Stephen (2010) Hardcover

by Stephen Bertman

Historians often look to ancient Greece as the wellspring of Western civilization. Perhaps the most ingenious achievement of the Hellenic mind was the early development of the sciences. What was it about the Greeks, as opposed to the far older civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, India, and China, that gave rise to the uniquely Western, scientific mindset? Bertman explores this intriguing question in this authoritative yet accessible and eloquently told story about the origins of science. Going beyond individual Greek discoveries in the various branches of science, he emphasizes why these early investigators were able to achieve what they did. Among the exceptional characteristics of Greek culture that created the seedbed for early science · the Greek emphasis on rationalism-a conviction that human reason could successfully unravel the mysteries of nature and make sense of the cosmos· an early form of humanism-a pride and confidence in human potential despite the frailty and brief tenure of individual lives · the drive to excel in every arena from the battlefield to the Olympic games and arts competitions· an insatiable curiosity that sought understanding of both human nature and the world· a fierce love of freedom and individualism that promoted freedom of thought-the prelude to science.Focusing on ten different branches of science, the author shows why the Greeks gravitated to each specialty and explains the fascinating theories they developed, the brilliant experiments they performed, and the practical applications of their discoveries. He concludes by recounting how these early insights and achievements-transmitted over the course of two thousand years-have shaped the scientific attitude that is the hallmark of today's world. This lively narrative captures the Greek genius and demonstrates the indelible influence of their discoveries on modern science and technology.

Hardcover

First published October 1, 2010

About the author

Stephen Bertman received his doctorate in Greek and Latin Literature from Columbia University, and holds additional degrees in Classics from New York University and in Near Eastern and Judaic Studies from Brandeis. Dr. Bertman has published extensively in the field of ancient Mediterranean civilization. In addition to articles and chapters on Classical and Near Eastern history and though, his books include Art and the Romans, Doorways through Time: The Romance of Archaeology and the Handbook to Life in Ancient Mesopotamia. He has also explored the callenges of contemporary civilization in Hyperculture: The Human Cost of Speed and Cultural Amnesia: America's Future and the Crisis of Memory.

As a teacher, writer, educational consultant, and public speaker, Dr. Bertman has dedicated his life to bridging the world of past and present. Stephen Bertman lives with his wife, Elaine, in West Bloomfield, Michigan.

(Taken from The Eight Pillars of Greek Wisdom)

Reviews

[Lucas G. · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am giving this book 2 stars solely because I found the literary approach to the topic to be interesting and I walked away with more knowledge of ancient classical literature than I had before reading it. Unfortunately, this book can receive no greater than 2 stars because the majority of the discussions either had nothing to do with the author's overall point or actually demonstrated the opposite of what he was trying to prove.

In essence, the author intended on demonstrating how the practice of science has its intellectual roots in Greek tradition. In order to do this, he assesses the ancient literature, which is an interesting perspective, but unsurprising for an expert in Classics. He attempts to distinguish between those who investigated the world for the sake of pure knowledge and those who investigated the world for the sake of solving a problem. The latter is more analogous to technology and engineering than science proper. The Greeks, according to the author, were involved with the former. The problem is that every example given in the book of Greek science was in direct response to needing to solve a practical problem, which actually places it in the latter category. Therefore, if we take the author's arguments seriously, he actually demonstrates the exact opposite of what he intended. The Greeks, based on the evidence in this book, may have been excellent engineers, but nothing discussed comes close to making them the foundation for science proper.

Furthermore, this is supposed to be a book discussing the history of science, yet the author frequently makes statements indicating that science and religion have been fundamentally at odds with one another throughout history. It is a point of fact, however, that science and religion have predominantly interacted positively throughout history, with religion frequently providing the intellectual justification to engage in science in the first place. In the field of history and philosophy of science it is well known that this "warfare" model of science and religion was only popularised at the turn of the twentieth century when a couple of academics decided to write supposed histories full of false stories of such conflict in order to serve as propaganda against Creationists. Putting the end goal aside, this was an intellectually dishonest practice. It seems that the author anachronistically applies this flawed modern interpretation, which would have been entirely foreign to anyone historically. This effectively destroys the credibility of this book as a historical assessment.

Ultimately, I wish I could recommend this book because I was quite interested in the literary approach to this question. Unfortunately, in light of the problems scattered throughout every example, as well as the flawed underlying interpretive framework of the author, I cannot recommend this book to anyone.

[Linda]

from the cover:
the Greek emphasis on rationalism-a conviction that human reason could successfully unravel the mysteries of nature and make sense of the cosmos
an early form of humanism-a pride and confidence in human potential despite the frailty and brief tenure of individual lives
the drive to excel in every arena from the battlefield to the Olympic Games and arts competition
an insatiable curiosity that sought understanding of both human nature and the world
a fierce love of freedom and individualism that promoted freedom of thought - the prelude to science
(save for when have time to focus on this one, till then ponder the above