Development history of science and technology
Pre Historic Period
STONE AGE
> PALEOLITHIC [OLD STONE AGE]
> Humans lived in caves or simple hits
> Basic stone and bone tools
> Cook prey using controlled fire
> Stone was widely used for tools and
implements
> MESOLITHIC [MIDDLE STONE AGE]
> Polished and sometimes pointed stone tools
such as spear and arrows
> Often live near water
> Introduction of agriculture [small]
> Fishing equipment
> NEOLITHIC [NEW STONE AGE]
> Converted to agriculture and livestock
> Domestication of animals
> Ploughing and tilling the land
Classical Antiquity
> Also known as Ancient era
> 8th century BC - 6th century AD
CLASSICAL PERIOD
> MESOPOTAMIAN CIVILIZATION
- Sumerian civilization
> Cuneiform – first form of writing
> Number system
> Wheeled vehicles
> Sun dried bricks
> Irrigation for farming
- Babylonian civilization
> Astronomy
> Rule solar eclipse only possible during new
moon, lunar eclipse during full moons
> Babylonian Star calendar – first calendar
> EGYPTIAN CIVILIZATION
- Famous for pyramids and monuments
- 256/81, value of pi (3.16)
- Paper made from papyrus, made out of a stem
of a plant
> ANCIENT CHINESE CIVILIZATION
- Gunpowder
- Paper
- Woodblock painting
- Compass
> GREEK CIVILIZATION
- Water mills
- Odometer – measure distance travelled
> Farming, home construction, and art include
pottery, sewing, and weaving
THE BRONZE AGE
> Metalworking, bronze = copper and tin all
> Potter’s wheel and textiles invention
> Organized government, law and warfare,
religion
THE IRON AGE
> Heat and forging iron
> Advance in architecture
> Water systems
> Agriculture, art and religion became more
sophisticated
> Writing systems – alphabet – early historical
period
- First alarm clock
- Basis of geometry
- Doric, ionic, Corinthian columns
- Early practice of medicine and modern
philosophy
- Started Olympic games
- Pre Socratic philosophers [sophists]
> How did the ordered cosmos in which we
live come to be?
> Answer – to centered on the material
course of things
> No ultimate truth
> Socrates
- Lover of truth, seeker of wisdom
- There is ultimate truth, “true knowledge
exist in knowing that you know nothing”
- Socratic method:
 Taught students by asking question
after question
 Sought to explore contradictions in
the students thoughts and ideas to
then guide them to solid, relatable
conclusions. Method legal in today’s
classroom
- Uses death as a final lesson – rather
than fleeing when opportunity arises,
face it calmy
 > Plato > Heraclitus
- Academy – first institution - Change is fundamental, fire plays a
- Narrated life of Socrates central role in it
- Student of Socrates > Empedocles
> Aristotle - Four elements – earth, water, air, and
- Student of Plato fire
- Leaning on anything scientifically based, > Leucippus and Democritus
Preferred imperial data of observation - Two real entities: atoms and the void
- Father of logical or rational thinking > Hippocrates
- Tutored alexander the great - Separate religion and philosophy from
- Built LYCEUM in Athens practical medicine
> Thales - Declared diseases not caused by god
- Suggested all things come and but natural causes
sustained by water > Pythagoreans
> Anaximenes - Matter was made of ordered
- Things come from air arrangements of atom, arranged
> Anaximander according to geometrical principals into
- Things don’t come from specific triangles, squares, rectangles, etc.
substance but from “boundless”

HELLENISTIC PERIOD

> Influenced by Greek

> Supported by royal patrons
> Antikythera mechanism
- 37-gear mechanical computer
- Computed motions of the sun and moon
- Believed to learnt from Babylonians

ROMAN EMPIRE

> Focused on systemizing knowledge > Fitted a water clock with a dial and
> Taxonomy pointer that indicate time and added a
> Arches, roads and highways, aqueducts system that uses pebbles dropping on
concretes, basilica, amphitheater the gong or blowing a trumpet by
> Roman numeral system forcing jars down into water and taking
> First sophisticated system of written news the compressed air through a beating
“acta diurna” meaning “daily events” reed.
> Galen Cartography
- Became a central part of medical > Study of making map
knowledge, built upon Hellenistic > 9th century BC, Babylon. Greeks
knowledge of anatomy and physiology brought it to new light
> Ptolemy > Anaximander - a pioneer in
- Geocentric theory – Ptolemaic system cartographer
- Almagest – defined the method and - Basis of geometry
subject matter of future astronomical > Established by deductive reasoning
research > Thales of Miletus – father of geometry,
- “earth is the center of the solar system” proposed axioms and rules in 6th
> IMPORTANT TECH CONTRIBUTIONS century BC
- Water mills - Aqueducts
> Metal-shaping, agriculture, milling > Perfected the process with mastery in
> Mill - to grind (rice, cereal, flour, etc.) civil engineering
- Odometer > Relied on water supply
> Measure distance traveled by vehicle - Concrete
> Evidence point that Archimedes of > Used slaked slime, pozzolana and
Syracuse invented it volcanic rocks called tuff
> Helped revolutionize building of roads - Bound books
by accurately measuring distance. > Streamlined the medium by creating the
- First alarm clock codex.
> Invented by Ctesibius
 > Bound was tablets, later replaced by - Arches
animal skin parchment resembling - Battlefield surgery
pages

Beginning of modern science

> Time where Copernicus oppose the geocentric theory of Ptolemy

MEDIEVAL SCIENCE

> Black Death/plaque - Paper

- 75-200 m people in 4 years - Distillation and alcohol
- Result of plague, infectious fever caused by > MEDICINE
bacterium yersinia pestis. Likely transmitted - Astrology ruled prognosis
from rodents to humans through flea bites - Diagnosis limited to inspecting urine.
> Superstitions and religion dominated Europe - Learning devoted on study of ancient
> Cathedrals are built authoritative text
> Nobles and the rich owned knowledge - Therapy done through prayer, magic,
> Universities to be approved by the clergy charms, amulets, and faith.
> NATURAL SCIENCE ACHIEVEMENTS - Herbs were used widely
- St albert magnate – made few notes on > INTERACTION BETWEEN MEDIEVAL
mineral and natural history TECHNOLOGY AND ECONOMY
- Criticisms of Aristotle’s theory of motion by - Middle 13th century
Buridan and Ores me - Rich merchants and town oligarchies
- Grosseteste acquired monopoly position, cooperated for
> science basically a means of illustrating common exploitation of less territories
theological truths - Bourgeoisie interested more in profit than
> Studied optics because he thought light belief
was analogous to divine illuminations > Science and technology in china
> Life during the era was filled with irrational - China most technically advanced at the time
beliefs, mysticism and superstitions - Physics
> TECHNOLOGY IN MIDDLE AGES - Physical theories
- Horse harness - Science
- improvement of watermill and windmill - Mathematics
- Clock and watch - astronomy
- Mariner’s magnetic compass - Medicine and biology
- Sternpost rudder - Engineering
- Lenses with spectacle

EARLY MODERN PERIOD

RENAISSANCE

> Rebirth > Causes:

> Printing press (Gutenberg bible, first book
printed)
> Invention of microscope and telescope, and
mechanical clock
> Black death, starvation, warfare
> Nobles display wealth on arts, painting,
sculpture, and architecture.
- Desire to beautify the city
- Interest in science and technical knowledge
- Ideas emphasized humanism, focus on
human nature
- Humanists argued on achievement
- Church no longer served as source of
stability
- Some turned to secularism

SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTION
 > Emergence of modern science
> Microscope, barometer, and thermometer were
made
> Systematic experimentation (math, physics,
astronomy, biology, chemistry)
> Change to medieval idea of science
- Collaboration
- Derivation of new experimental methods
- Ability to build on the legacy of existing
scientific philosophy
- Institutions enabled academic publishing
> LEADING FIGURES
- Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626)
> proponent of scientific method
- Nicolaus Copernicus (1473-1543)
AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT
> Age of reason
> Production of numerous books, essay,
inventions, science discoveries, laws, wars
and revolution
> Dictionaries and encyclopedia
> Advocated freedom, democracy, and reason
INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
> 1700-1900
> Machine revolution
> Biggest turning point in human history
> MACHINES INVENTED:
- Wrought iron
- Coke smelting
- Stationary steam engine
- Steam pumps
- Atmospheric engine
AGE OF INVENTION
- Lot of notable inventions were made
- Made possible for machines to perform the works that human labors have been performing before.
- First industrial revolution (1760 – 1840)
> textile manufacturing, innovation of
steam engine
TECHNOLOGICAL AGE
> Information age, computer age, digital age, new media age
> Historic period in 21st century [present]
> rapid shift from traditional industry to industrial revolution
> Third industrial revolution (1950-1970)
- brought semiconductors, mainframe
computing, personal computing, and
internet [digital revolution]
> heliocentric theory (1543)
- Rene Descartes (1564-1642)
- Galileo Galilei (1454-1642)
> the starry messenger (1610)
> telescope
> study about heavenly bodies
- Johann Kepler (1571-1642)
> The law of planetary motion (1630)
- Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727)
> Study of motion
> Laws of gravitation
- Impact of scientific revolution
> Observation of phenomenon
> Development of theory that explains object
or phenomenon
> Develop test theory
> European politics, philosophy, science and
communications were radically reoriented.
> Women excluded from scientific societies,
universities, and learned professions
> First secularized theory of psychology and
ethics
> Newtonianism
- Outcome of scientific revolution 16th and 17th
century
- Wide explanation in science, universe and
newton’s physics
> Metallurgy – permitted tailoring of steels to
industrial specifications
> Chemistry – permitted creation of new
substances
- Second industrial revolution (1870 – 1914)
> teel production; automobile and
electricity
> Fourth industrial revolution
- artificial intelligence (ai), robotics, genetic
engineering, quantum computing, etc.