It has long been thought that the ancient Greeks did not take mechanics seriously as part of the workings of nature, and that therefore their natural philosophy was both primitive and marginal. In this book Sylvia Berryman challenges that assumption, arguing that the idea that the world works 'like a machine' can be found in ancient Greek thought, predating the early modern philosophy with which it is most closely associated. Her discussion ranges over topics including balancing and equilibrium, lifting water, sphere-making and models of the heavens, and ancient Greek pneumatic theory, with detailed analysis of thinkers such as Aristotle, Archimedes, and Hero of Alexandria. Her book shows scholars of ancient Greek philosophy why it is necessary to pay attention to mechanics, and shows historians of science why the differences between ancient and modern reactions to mechanics are not as great as was generally thought.

This book argues against the assumption that the ancient Greeks did not take mechanics seriously.

Provides a broad framework for engaging with ideas relevant to ancient Greek and Roman science, medicine and technology.

This volume deals with a variety of moments in the history of mechanics when conflicts arose within one textual tradition, between different traditions, or between textual traditions and the wider world of practice. Its purpose is to show how the accommodations sometimes made in the course of these conflicts ultimately contributed to the emergence of modern mechanics.

Essay from the year 2009 in the subject Philosophy - Miscellaneous, grade: A, Bucknell University, language: English, abstract: Since ancient Greece, philosophers have wondered how objects come into existence. Aristotle proposed that everything was made by one of four reasons or causes. The mechanical cause describes how the object is composed. For instance, the mechanical cause of a tire is rubber. The formal cause describes the plans or pattern of an object, like a blueprint for a house, while the efficient cause is the cause/effect relations of an object, like an artist’s paint and brushes resulting in painting a picture. The final cause, however, is defined as, "the purpose, the good, or the end of something." For example, the final cause of a folder is to store papers.

This book describes how natural philosophy and exact mathematical sciences joined together to make the Scientific Revolution possible.

A Companion to Science, Technology, and Medicine in Ancient Greece and Rome brings a fresh perspective to the study of these disciplines in the ancient world, with 60 chapters examining these topics from a variety of critical and technical perspectives. Brings a fresh perspective to the study of science, technology, and medicine in the ancient world, with 60 chapters examining these topics from a variety of critical and technical perspectives Begins coverage in 600 BCE and includes sections on the later Roman Empire and beyond, featuring discussion of the transmission and reception of these ideas into the Renaissance Investigates key disciplines, concepts, and movements in ancient science, technology, and medicine within the historical, cultural, and philosophical contexts of Greek and Roman society Organizes its content in two halves: the first focuses on mathematical and natural sciences; the second focuses on cultural applications and interdisciplinary themes 2 Volumes