No amount of 'progressive' re-writing of history or (ironically) whiggish re-interpretations of what some non-western cultures (including mine) did will change the fact that science as we understand it began in Europe around the early modern period and it had the most revolutionary effect on the the world. This is why the oft quoted trivia that Cleopatra is closer to us than to Imhotep is so striking.
Having said that, there's an excellent scholarly work of revisionist history written by Lucio Russo called the Forgotten Revolution that I can recommend for some pleasuraeble outrage.
You are reading too much into my comment, as others have done. "Curiosity" (note "curiosity", not science) does not go back to Newton, Bacon, Galileo. It's a stupid and shortsighted statement by the author. No need to read scientific counter-historiographies, be a post-modern "social constructivist" about reason and science, or a "progressive" cultural relativist to see that this statement is just stupid.
I added that it's eurocentric because that's what it felt when I read it (and it probably is, since even non-human animals are probably curious, too).
Comments
No amount of 'progressive' re-writing of history or (ironically) whiggish re-interpretations of what some non-western cultures (including mine) did will change the fact that science as we understand it began in Europe around the early modern period and it had the most revolutionary effect on the the world. This is why the oft quoted trivia that Cleopatra is closer to us than to Imhotep is so striking.
Having said that, there's an excellent scholarly work of revisionist history written by Lucio Russo called the Forgotten Revolution that I can recommend for some pleasuraeble outrage.
You are reading too much into my comment, as others have done. "Curiosity" (note "curiosity", not science) does not go back to Newton, Bacon, Galileo. It's a stupid and shortsighted statement by the author. No need to read scientific counter-historiographies, be a post-modern "social constructivist" about reason and science, or a "progressive" cultural relativist to see that this statement is just stupid.
I added that it's eurocentric because that's what it felt when I read it (and it probably is, since even non-human animals are probably curious, too).