Nature and Nature's Laws lay hid in Night.
God said, "Let Newton be!" and All was Light.
Alexander Pope
Introduction
Almost everyone has heard of these three famous names, but how much do we really know about them?
Why were they so important? Why do their ideas continue to be influential today?
Newton, Darwin, and Einstein are best known as scientists, but their influence goes way beyond this. They are much more than names
in physics, astronomy, or biology textbooks. How have their ideas changed the way we view the universe?
Why were the theories they developed so influential beyond the realm of science?
These are some of the general questions that we'll be examining in this course.
To encourage a critical approach, we will look at broader questions such as:
What is science and why is it important?
What is history and why is it important?
How can an historical approach help us understand
science better?
What were the particular historical circumstances in which Newton, Darwin, and Einstein developed
their ideas?
In what ways did their ideas interact, conflict with, or alter politics, religion, and philosophy?
In what ways, in general, does science influence society and society influence science?