History of the Scientific Revolution

History of the Scientific Revolution What we call today as Modern Science and Technology is in fact not that modern, but was born nearly half a millennium ago at the time of Renaissance in Europe. According to traditional accounts, the scientific revolution began in Europe towards the end of the Renaissance Era lasting from 15th century to 18th century. Ancient people who are considered the first scientists called themselves â€Å"natural philosophers† or â€Å"practitioners of a skilled profession† or as â€Å"followers of a religious tradition†. Both institutionally and conceptually, science was not the independent practice what we see today. Much of what we know as science originally was undertaken by priests and monks, and scientific knowledge was taught in temples and monasteries. The scientific revolution was not marked by any single change, but a century long process of discovery in which scientists further elaborated and developed the findings of those who had come before—from the scientific learning of the ancient Greeks to the scholarly contributions of the Islamic thinkers, to the work of the late medieval and early Renaissance Europeans. The Medieval Islamic Science period lasted from 7th century to 15th century, during which the Muslims were the leading scholars and the heirs to the scientific traditions of Greece, India and Persia. The Islamic Science suffered a gradual decline in the early 12th century which provided the Europeans an opportunity to seek and translate the works of Islamic philosophers and scientists. Beginning in the late 11th century and over the next two centuries the Islamic world was under pressure by The Crusades and Mongol conquests, during which libraries, observatories, hospitals, and universities were destroyed. In add ition to Mongolian invasions and the crusades, political mismanagement and the stifling of ijtihad in the 12th century in favor of taqlid thinking played a part. The destruction of the intellectual center of Baghdad the capital of the Abbasaid Caliphate in1258 is traditionally seen as the approximate end of the Islamic Golden Age. The translation of the Islamic texts into Latin during the 12th and 13th centuries had a great impact on the European Renaissance and helped Europe seize the initiative from the Muslims when political conditions in Islam brought about a decline in Islamic science. By the end of the 18th century, the Scientific Revolution had given birth to Industrial Revolution which dramatically transformed the daily lives of people around the world. During the 19th century, the practice of science became professionalized and institutionalized in ways that continued through the 20th century. According to many, scientific revolution was the prelude of a much bigger transformation, the Industrial Revolution which began in 1760’s. The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in history and a shift to powered, special-purpose machinery, factories and mass production. The iron and textile industry, agriculture, and the invention of steam engine played central roles in the Industrial Revolution, which also saw major changes in transportation and banking systems. These changes had a profound effect on the socio-economic and cultural conditions in England, and then subsequently spreading throughout the world. The first Industrial Revolution which took place from 1760 to somewhere between 1820 and 1840 evolved into the Second Industrial Revolution around 1850 and continued through the 19th century. However, the date of origin is still a highly debated topic among historians. While it is difficult to explain all of the examples of how technology has influenced cult ure and vice versa, reviewing a few examples from the last few centuries it is clear that the technology developed during and after the Industrial Revolution has changed cultures from simple farming villages to modern hustling cities and sprawling suburbs. What then is the relationship between Science, Technology and Culture? It is an intricate relationship that forms a figurative circle of influence with no real start or end points. Science, Technology and Culture continue to influence one another as they evolve and change over time. From 19th century onwards science, technology and culture have significantly influenced one another. As cultures change so does the technology they develop. A contemporary writer Raymond Williams, in his book Culture and Society regards the concept of culture as consisting of four jointly applicable meanings: A general state or habit of mind, having close relations with the idea of human perfection; A general state of intellectual development in a society as a whole; The general body of arts; and A whole way of lifematerial, intellectual, and spiritual. Culture is thus the totality of the technological, sociological and ideological features of a given society. Rationality, utility, ethics, freedom, and sociality are the central cultural elements of our societies. Because science and technology rest on these central cultural elements, the adoption of new knowledge and new devices does not always imply their acceptance. We often accept an innovation owing to its evident utility at the individual level, and then criticize it for its consequences at the collective or cultural level. Science and technology can contribute to the preservations and advancement of a culture. At the same time they can also help cause its mutation and destruction. Science has contributed a great deal to human welfare. It has produced miraculous cures for diseases which for a long time, were regarded incurable. It has brought the marvels on industrialism, technology and space exploration. But science has created as many problems as it helped to solve. It has le d to an undue stress on materialism and economic barbarism in the absence of controlling mental and moral ideas. The knowledge and power of science need to be harnessed to the service of man through the culture the finer sense and sensitivity of man. For instance, beginning in the mid 1950’s, the post war years in Western Germany were marked by enormous obstacles. Due to extensive bombing destruction and dismantling of factories, various cultural and traditional supply networks were destroyed. Under this circumstance what role did culture play in the technological development of Western Germany? Stokes had argued that the way Western Germany approached technological change bound economic miracle both German past and to the country’s present day industrial structure. The Western German approach, in other words, has drawn upon a set of German technological traditions that emerged in the large 19th and early 20th centuries, major characteristics of which include a drive for technical excellence tempered by gradual implementation of new technologies. There are two views about culture and Germany’s Technological and Economic Miracle one view advanced by scholars about culture and Germany’s technological and economic miracle is that the experience of skilled workers and the persistence of socio-economic relationships were important factors in permitting an economy to reconstruct itself after a disaster. A second, and a more recent view is that the important cultural factor that was responsible for Germany’s technological and economic miracle was the ability of Western German technologists and industrialists to embrace technological alternatives. What then is the relationship between culture and technology? The culture of a society determines the nature of technological development and the evolving technological culture. Technology is thus a cultural enterprise is thus accepted that technology has had an important influence on Western civilizations for the last 300 years. But partly because of the diverse cultur es found in human societies, the contribution of some cultures to the pool of technological advances has been comparatively modest. However, technology has always been too important to be measured purely in terms of the activities of technologists. Just as history is not made by historians, but by society, so technology is not developed only by technologists but the wider community. Every human society possesses its own distinct culture, so that the members of one society behave differently in some significant respects from members of every other society. Furthermore, human societies are also distributed over very varied regions differing markedly in climate and environment. There are also very large ethnic, social and cultural differences between the various human communities and their economic conditions. In recent years the impact of culture on technology in most traditional societies has tended to bear on two opposing directions at once. On the one hand western technology is being sought virtually without limits on the other hand there is opposition to certain aspects of western lifestyles, attitudes and value. This phenomenon is termed as the techno-cultural gap between traditional values and western technology. Now, if we take these issues into full consideration, we are left to conclude that what is needed at this moment is not just an increase of interna tional technology transfer nor even the setting up of a screening mechanism permitting only appropriate technologies to be transferred, but rather a major at two levels: the domestic and the international. At the domestic level, it is important to build a popular technological awareness crossing the borderline between the so-called indigenous and modern technology people should become aware of the issues in culture and technology and they can improve their livelihood by modifying and improving indigenous and modern technologies. At the international level, the re-orientation and restructuring of science and technology must touch on two areas: On the study of science and technology in schools, scientists, technologists and science educationists of different cultures, languages and social systems must build new paradigms for science and technology education from a multicultural perspective. Science and technology must be seen as existing in all cultures, the issues must be taught and the potentials of these must be explored in situations of everyday life. An acceptance of the restructuring of RD systems could permit the developing and the industrialized countries to engage in a dialogue on alternative RD, assessment of technology for development, concrete measures to redirect government RD from technocratic to need-oriented technology development, etc and joint RD for alternative technologies. In the west, the pervasiveness of technologies like televisions, telephones, and computers is affecting the way we perceive the world and how we interact. In addition many new developments, like cloning, challenge fundamental cultural beliefs and traditions. While Western nations have become relatively accustomed to technological change since the industrial revolution, developing nations are just beginning to grapple with the problems of the rapid introduction of industrial and scientific technologies. There is growing awareness of the consequences of the interaction between science, technology and culture. However, we are just beginning to understand how to reconcile the benefits of science and technology-such as higher standards of living, longer life spans, more leisure time, and improved communications-with the possibility of reshaping, many cultures and possibly redefining fundamental aspects of society. As science and technology continue to advance, the ways in which people communicate, perpetuate, and develop their knowledge and attitudes toward individuals, as well as local, national, and international communities, will continue to undergo radical change. The continuing development of science and technology is not inherently bad. However, it has the potential to endanger our diversity and traditional knowledge. We must work together to determine how to preserve and foster our cultural heritages at the same time we embrace the future.

space :: essays research papers

People arguing over shuttle costs on the net are usually arguing from different assumptions and do not describe their assumptions clearly, making it impossible to reach agreement. To demonstrate the difficulty, here are a range of flight cost figures differing by a factor of 35 and some of the assumptions behind them (all use 1992 constant dollars). $45 million - marginal cost of adding or removing one flight from the manifest in a given year. $414 million - NASA's average cost/flight, assuming planned flight rates are met and using current fiscal year data only. $1 billion - operational costs since 1983 spread over the actual number of flights. $900 million - $1.35 billion - total (including development) costs since the inception of the shuttle program, assuming 4 or 8 flights/year and operations ending in 2005 or 2010. $1.6 billion - total costs through 1992 spread over the actual number of flights through 1992. For more detailed information, see the Aviation Week Forum article by Roger A. Pielke, Jr.: "Space Shuttle Value Open To Interpretation", July 26, 1993, pg. 57. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE SATURN V PLANS Despite a widespread belief to the contrary, the Saturn V blueprints have not been lost. They are kept at Marshall Space Flight Center on microfilm. The Federal Archives in East Point, GA also has 2900 cubic feet of Saturn documents. Rocketdyne has in its archives dozens of volumes from its Knowledge Retention Program. This effort was initiated in the late '60s to document every facet of F-1 and J-2 engine production to assist in any future re-start. The problem in re-creating the Saturn V is not finding the drawings, it is finding vendors who can supply mid-1960's vintage hardware (like guidance system components), and the fact that the launch pads and VAB have been converted to Space Shuttle use, so you have no place to launch from. By the time you redesign to accommodate available hardware and re-modify the launch pads, you may as well have started from scratch with a clean sheet design. Other references: Several AIAA papers delivered in recent years discuss reviving the Saturn V. For example, AIAA paper 92-1546, "Launch Vehicles for the Space Exploration Initiative". This paper concluded that a revived Saturn V was actually cheaper than the NLS vehicle. An overview of the infrastructure still available to support production of a 1990s Saturn V and how that vehicle might be used to support First Lunar Outpost missions can be found in the December 1993 issue of _Spaceflight_, published by the British Interplanetary Society. WHY DATA FROM SPACE MISSIONS ISN'T IMMEDIATELY AVAILABLE

Product Development Specifications

1)a. When making patterns, they can either be produced in house or be outsourced. Both types have their advantages and disadvantages. The advantage to using in house pattern making is that the fit of the garment can be more customized. When a company makes its own patterns, it has years of experience with their target market and their needs. Also, companies that produce their own patterns can base new patterns off of previous seasons. However, a disadvantage is that is expensive, and a smaller company may not have the resources to use their own pattern makers.When outsourcing pattern making, a company can either use pattern making services, or full service contractors. Pattern making services create patterns without the product developer having to invest in their own computerized pattern making system. The other type of out sourced pattern making, full service contractors, are usually used by product developers looking to knock off a design. The product developer sends an already mad e sample to the pattern maker with size specifications. Full service contractors are more difficult to use when making original designs.Some disadvantages to outsourcing pattern making are that different countries have different methods of pattern making and different perceptions of the body. Also it takes time to check samples, and language and measurement system are usually different in other countries. b. When choosing materials, specifications can either be open or closed. Open specs are when the information provided is more generic and only contains basic facts. Closed specs are when the specifications are very detailed and specify an exact material and supplier.A disadvantage to closed specs is that they can become very expensive. However an advantage is that they ensure consistency of the end product. Some advantages to open specs are that they are cheaper and less time consuming, however the end product could be less accurate. c. Tolerances are variations from criteria that will be allowed when producing a product. If a product does not meet tolerances, it will be rejected. Tolerances can either be tight or loose. Tight tolerances have less room for variation.The advantages to tight tolerances are that products will be more consistent, and fit better. However, the disadvantages are that it is costly, and time consuming as it may take a few tries to meet tight standards. Loose tolerances are when specs have a wider variation. Products that have loose tolerances vary more often, but are cheaper and faster to produce. 3) Standards and specifications in the product development process are very important because they affect quality, cost, and the time it takes to produce an item.In general, when a product has more standards and specifications it takes longer to produce and is more costly, but it will be a more consistent, high quality product that fits better. When there are less standards and looser specifications, products can be made faster and for cheap er but will be of a lower quality. When choosing standards and specifications it is important for the product developer to keep the company and its end target market in mind. For instance, when developing product for companies such as Zara or Forever 21, the focus is on producing products quickly as fashion is always changing and trending up or down.These companies would use looser specifications with lower standards to get their product produced as quickly as possible. Since the product is at a lower price point, the quality of products is not taken into as much consideration. However, for products that set the trends and are sold at higher price points, more time would be taken on specs and standards as the target market expects quality. LIM College. (2010). Chapter 9: Translating Concept to Product. Product Development (pp. 262-279). United States of America: Fairchild Books, a Division of Conde Nast Publications.

The Trojan Person Anchises And Venus - 956 Words

Nephituria Milner Professor. Whelan World Literature 09/25/2016 The thesis statement states that the son of the Trojan person Anchises and Venus, the goddess of beauty and love that is sexual, Aeneas loves a special divine protection. He could be selected to lay the bases in Italy and to survive the siege of Troy. In the Aeneid, Aeneas’s destiny as Rome’s creator drives all the activity, and the story always figures out that Aeneas’s bravery owes as much to his heritage regarding his activities.Also, Charlemagne s military is fighting with the Muslims. The last city standing is Saragossa. Terrified of the might of Charlemagne s army of Franks, Marcella sends messengers out to Marcella s conversion to Christianity if the Franks will return to France, assuring treasure and Charlemagne. Charlemagne and his guys are tired of fighting and determine to accept this peace offer. They need to choose a messenger to return to the court of Marseille. Aeneas functions as the vehicle by which destiny carries out its historical design. As a Trojan leader, Aeneas values prophecy and efforts to integrate the notion of his destiny into his activities, in spite of mental whims that conflict with his fated responsibilities. Private investment is by Aeneas later on of Rome increases as the narrative advances. Book VI, in which Aeneas sees his dad in the realm of the dead, and the occasions of Book V, when the Trojans sail away from Carthage toward Italy, depict Aeneas’s increase as a leader.Show MoreRelatedThe Aeneid By Virgil Between 29 And 19 Bc1434 Words   |  6 Pagesworks tells of the Trojan hero Aeneas and his journey from Troy to Italy to settle a new city for his people. The first half of the book entails Aeneas making his way to Italy while the second half describes the battle between the Latins and the Trojans. Both of these endeavors require the hero of the story to have a motivated disposition. These motivations come in the form of depictions of Roman history. The two significant depictions are told to Aeneas from his father, Anchises, who has gained theRead MoreThe Aeneid By Virgil Vs. Aeneas Essay1506 Words   |  7 PagesIn The Aeneid by Virgil, the main character Aeneas is born of Venus; he is the pious, loyal hero of Rome from Troy. The idea of a hero in Virgil’s epic poem was built upon a dual pillar structure of piety and loyalty. The ideal version of piety is exemplified in Aeneas, who often sacrifices his own loyalties to appease the gods. The other pillar that the book stands upon is loyalty to friends, family, the gods, and the future. These two pillars often clash and Aeneas must choose one over the otherRead MoreFilm Review of Helen of Troy1658 Words   |  7 Pagesaway by force. Matthew Marsden as Paris- Trojan who took Helen from Menelaus. Rufus Sewell as Agamemnon- The leader of the Achaean expedition to Troy, he was the King of Mycenae.   On his return from Troy he was murdered by his wife Clytemnestra, and her lover Aegisthus. The lover was the son of Thyestes, the brother and enemy of Atreus, Agamemnon’s father.   When Odysseus voyages to Hades he meets with Agamemnon’s ghost. Stellan Skarsgà ¥rd as Theseus- The person who abducted Helen and hoped in time toRead MoreThe Aeneid And The Pax Romana1580 Words   |  7 Pages The epic poem The Aeneid; written by Virgil in the heights of the Pax Romana in AD 29. The poems give a summary of the history of the Trojans who has fled their home land Troy, after the invasion of the Greeks. Aeneas and his men must now travel to the land of Italy, were they will become founding fathers of the great Roman Empire. This is voyage is lead extremely by Aeneas fate in the gods and the notable characteristics of Aeneas which is piety and obedience to the will of the gods. TheRead MoreDifferences and Similarities of Greek and Roman Gods1714 Words   |  7 Pageshave confused the gods of these two ancient civilizations. For instance when a person thinks of the goddess of love they may think of Venus or Aphrodite and think that they are one and the same. They are not though, Aphrodite is the Greek goddess of love and Venus her Roman counter part. When thinking of the God of Love, Cupid is the first that comes to mind and therefore, he should be Aphrodite’s s on but he is Venus’ son. Along with their different names, they have many variations as to how theyRead MoreSimilarities and Differences in the Aeneid and the Odyssey.1418 Words   |  6 Pages god of wisdom, aids him throughout his journey. Similarly in the Aeneid, we see that goddess Juno dislikes Aeneas as he is destined to destroy the city of Carthage loved by Juno during his mission to find a new land- Rome, whereas Aeneas’ mother Venus aids him. In these epics, many points of similarity and differences arise such as the characters of the heroes, how their journeys are delayed by women obsessed with love, what they are destined for and how they achieve the final goal in the end ofRead MoreSocrates Sense Of Virtue Essay1250 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"having as much money as possible, and reputation, and honor†¦neither [caring] for nor [giving] thought to prudence, and truth, and how [their] soul[s] will be the best possible† (Apo. 29d). Unlike his fellows Athenians, Socrates cares little â€Å"whether a person is beautiful, or rich, or famous in any other way that most people admire† (Sym. 216e). Unwilling to compromise his own values, Socrates continues to challenge those around him, even at the risk of losing his own life. In Plato’s Crito, Socrates likensRead More A Comparison of Leadership Abilities of Odysseus in Odyssey and Aeneas in Aeneid3512 Words   |  15 Pagesour two heroes.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Aeneas and Odysseus themselves are different, both in character and in their quest. Whilst Aeneas is born of the goddess Venus, Odysseus lineage has no close link to a deity. However, whilst Aeneas is of divine descent, he receives little or no help from his mother. When he lands at Carthage and Venus is kind enough to give him information about Didos people, she is disguised and departs immediately after having spoken, to the despair of Aeneas (you so oftenRead MoreAeneas And Dido. Aeneas Is The King Of The Trojans, Who2134 Words   |  9 PagesAeneas and Dido Aeneas is the king of the Trojans, who is also the son of Anchises and Venus. His fate is that he would build the land of Rome. This fate is tested by the interference of the gods, Juno in particular. Juno is the queen of the gods and held in high respects in the city of Carthage. As Juno holds a desire to â€Å"establish Carthage as the reigning city, [she] pits herself against fate itself, which ordained that the descendants of the Trojans will conquer Carthage and rule the world† (SyedRead More Shakespeare’s Use of Ovids Metamorphoses and Virgils Aeneid as Basis for The Tempest3769 Words   |  16 Pagescome after, and my intention here is to illustrate just how they were used in the writing of The Tempest. The Aeneid tells the story of a Trojan warrior named Aeneas, who is the son of Venus (the Roman goddess of love) and Anchises, a Trojan prince. The tale takes place in the12th century B.C., after the Trojan War, which was started when the Trojan prince Paris seduced Helen, the wife of the King of Sparta, and took her back to Troy. In retaliation, a Greek army waged a 10-year war on Troy