CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

Silang Campus

Historical Antecedents of Science and Technology

III. Intellectual Revolutions that
Defined Society

HAZEL B. ANCAJAS, LPT

Department of Arts & Sciences
 Intellectual revolution
- Greek speculation about “nature”
- Known as “Pre-Socratic” or “non-
theological” or “first philosophy”
3 CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS PHILOSOPHY
• The world is a natural whole
• There is natural ‘order’
• Humans can ‘discover’ those laws
 Copernican
- Nicholas Copernicus (1473-1543)
- Astronomer and mathematician
- Proposed that the sun was
stationary in the center of the
universe and the earth revolved
around it.
- Adopted the ‘heliocentric model’
suggesting the idea that the sun is
the center of the solar system
- Published an essay “On the
Revolution of the Heavenly
Spheres”
Aristotle, however, believed that
the earth is the true center of all
the orbitals carrying the
heavenly bodies and all motions
are uniform and unchanging.
Geocentric Model
 Darwinian
- Charles Darwin, Theory of
Evolution
- Suggested that all organisms
are related and have
descended from a common
ancestor
- Explains that complex
creatures evolved naturally
from simplistic ancestors
over time
Darwinian
- Proposed the “natural
selection”, organisms
survived due to random
genetic mutations leading to
the preservation of their
descendants.

- “survival of the fittest”, the

better adapted a species is,
the more fitted it is to
reproduce.
 Freudian
SIGMUND FREUD “FATHER OF
PSYCHOANALYSIS”
- Believed that when people explain
their behavior, they rarely give a
true account of their motivation,
not because they are deliberately
lying, but because they are more
adept at self-deception.
- Freud’s structural theory of
personality emphasizes the role of
unconscious psychological conflicts in
shaping behavior and personality.
3 Components of the mind affecting human behavior

• Id is made up of unconscious psychic

energy that works to satisfy basic
needs, urges, and desires.
• Present at birth, unconscious
3 Components of the mind affecting human
behavior

• Ego mediates the demands of the id,

the superego and the reality.
- Works to satisfy the id’s desire in a
manner that is realistic and socially
appropriate.
 3 Components of the mind affecting human
behavior

• Superego is composed of people’s

internalized ideas acquired from parents
and society.
- Works to suppress the urges of the id
and tries to make the ego behave
normally, rather than realistically.
 Information revolution
- Gutenberg’s printing press in 1455
- Analytic engine by Agusta and Babbage in 1830
- First telephone during 1870
- Turing’s work during World war II
- Allan Turing (1912-1954) provided a
fundamental contribution to computer
sciences by refining the concepts of
algorithm and computation
- Turing Machine
First telephone in 1870s Turing Machine
 Mesoamerican Civilization
- a regions and cultural area in the Americas, extending to the
countries in South America
- Contributed greatly in agriculture
- Cultivation of cacao, corn, beans, tomato, squash, and chili
- “Three Sisters”, the main food sources including beans, corn
and squash
- Domestication of turkey and dogs
- Cotton plants were used to make textiles, and rubber trees
were used to make rubber balls
- Combined crop rotation and slash-and-burn technique to retain
soil nutrients
- Formed terraces along the mountain slopes.
- First to use irrigation techniques
 Mesoamerican Civilization
- First created calendars.
- Haab or civil calendar, had 19 months of 20 days each
- Tzolkin calendar, contained 20 months of 13 days each for 260
days in each cycle.
- Combined calendars helped in the creation of complicated long
calendar that tracks both planetary movements

Haab Tzolkin
 Asian Civilization
- Two world’s known religions: Hinduism and Buddhism

Hinduism is based on the four sacred books, Vedas. This

holds the records of Indian history and beliefs, which
were written by the Aryan people.
- caste system: priests called Brahmans ranked the highest and the “untouchables” as
lowest

Buddhism embraces followers who praise Buddha (The

Enlightened One), in the person of Siddhartha Gautama
(a wanderer who believed that human greed and
selfishness lead to human pain)
 Asian Civilization
Confucianism is based on teaching of Confucius.
- Emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social
relationships, justice and sincerity
Great wall of China was built to protect themselves from the
invasions of “barbarians” from other parts of Asia
 Middle East Civilization
- The home of the “Cradle of Civilization”, many of
the world’s oldest cultures and civilizations were
seen
- The history started from the earliest human
settlements continuing through pre- and post-
Islamic Empires
Developed the ff:
- First writing system in the world
- Potter’s wheel, vehicular and mill wheel
- First generalized governments and law codes
- Foundation of astronomy and mathematics
 African Civilization
- Lineage and culture achievements include in the
field of Mathematics, Astronomy, Metallurgy,
Agriculture and Engineering, Navigation, and
Medicine.

- In math, they developed the Yoruba system – based

on units of 20 instead of 10 and required impressive
amount of subtraction to identify different numbers.

- In Astronomy, African Stonehenge was considered as

remarkably accurate calendar.
 African Civilization
- Advances in Metallurgy and tool making
- Steam engines
- Metal chisels and saws
- Copper and iron tools
- Weapons (bronze)
- Nail
- Glue
- Carbon
- Steel
- Art
 African Civilization
- African empire of Egypt developed diverse structures and great
architectural monuments along the Nile river
- Great pyramid of Giza
- Great Sphinx of Giza

- Medicine in Africa is more advance than in Europe, which

performed medicinal procedures:
- Vaccination - filling the dental cavities
- Autopsy - installation of false teeth
- Limb traction - anesthesia
- Broken bone setting - tissue cauterization
- Bullet removal
- Brain surgery
- Skin grafting
Note: These procedures already existed in Africa before in Europe.