Abstract
IT is true that progress was made in certain directions during the “millenary period of stagnation,” for example, the improvements in mathematics due to the Arabs. Yet the main fact in the re-birth of science in the sixteenth century is the discovery of the work of the Greeks, especially in geometry, astronomy, and geography. Descartes goes back to Pappus, Copernicus to Aristarchus, Toscanelli to Ptolemy. There is no question that in the general spirit with which the medieval mind regarded Nature there was retrogression, and that the Greek mind did come to life again at the Renascence, partly in its broader quality of rational inquiry, partly in the actual works of Greek thinkers.
Similar content being viewed by others
Article PDF
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
MARVIN, F. The Social Influence of Science. Nature 111, 362 (1923). https://doi.org/10.1038/111362a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/111362a0
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.