Page 1 Notes Vocabulary Flashcards: Greek Thought and Foundations of Science

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from Page 1 notes on Greek thought, its social context, and the foundations of scientific inquiry.

Naturalistic view of the world

A perspective that explains phenomena through natural causes and interrelations rather than supernatural explanations; a cornerstone of Greek thinking and the later scientific approach.

Greek social institutions

Structures in ancient Greek society (e.g., civic life and education) that fostered inquiry, debate, and philosophical questioning.

Lack of a dominant priesthood

Absence of a powerful, centralized religious class monopolizing intellectual life, enabling independent philosophical development.

Ancient Greek roots

Foundational ideas and thinkers from ancient Greece that influenced Western thought and the emergence of science.

Transformation of explanations of nature

A shift from myth and supernatural accounts to naturalistic and rational explanations of the natural world.

Philosophical Schools

Diverse ancient Greek philosophical traditions with differing ideas that persisted until the 16th century.

Pythagoras

Early Greek philosopher and mathematician linked to the view that numbers and mathematical relations underlie reality.

Philosophy

The love of wisdom; the study of fundamental questions about reality, knowledge, and values.

Scientific revolution

The 16th–17th century period when modern science transformed understanding of nature through empirical methods and new theories.

Disenchantment of the world

The process of replacing magical or supernatural explanations with secular, rational explanations for natural phenomena.

Interrelated nature

The idea that natural phenomena are connected and causally linked rather than isolated or supernaturally explained.

Ancient authors as primary source of learning

For much of ancient times, knowledge came primarily from classical texts rather than ongoing experimental work.