Astronomy from Ptolemy to Galileo

Paper Summary:

This paper examines the history of science in terms of changes in astronomy from the time of Ptolemy to Galileo, based on the book "Science without Limits" by James Perlman. The writer notes how the ancients saw science as a form of philosophy, while by the time of Galileo, observation was being joined with experimentation to examine concepts and find the truth.

From the Paper:

"The history of astronomy shows the development of science as a discipline from the ancient world to the Renaissance, from the time of Ptolemy to the time of Galileo. Over that period, astronomy began to shift from a philosophy to a science. Science in the ancient world was not created out of whole cloth and was based on observations and the application of reason. Mathematics were also used to develop ideas about the universe. Mathematics is itself an application of reason, though aspects of mathematics have also been developed through observation and testing. By the time of Galileo, however, science was gaining a more experimental structure, and Galileo himself tested many ideas directly. His astronomy was also based on observations, but he was able to observe more directly and closely with the telescope. Perlman notes that "science in large part . . . is a matter of testing assumptions"."

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