The History of Science : : A Comparative Study of Western and Indian Science

Science is about seeking rational explanations of the world. The history of science is a critical narrative of the important scientific events that have taken place from the ancient times to the present. It tells us where the scientific explanation had gone wrong, and how the past mistakes were corrected as the scientific ideas developed, and the experimental techniques modified. The book aims to address these issues: 1) It gives the idea what mistakes we commit in dealing with science, and how we have been able to overthrow the wrong ideas to be replaced by rational ones, as science evolved. 2) History of Science, like other kinds of Histories of mankind, is a dynamic process, and it takes place from simple notions to complex ones. For example, the Human Genome Project opened up the complexities of inherent transmission of human traits, and it has also opened the field of gene therapy. 3) It is only by understanding the history of science we come to know the basic process of science, and how it advanced by organization and intellectual mutation. As it is important to know the history of mankind so it is necessary to know the history of science, for science is an important part of human culture, it gives us deeper insight into the understanding of men and his scientific ideas as they evolved through ages. We may add that if we are blind to our past we are condemned to repeat mistakes. In this book I have traced the history of Western and Indian science from a very early period, about 3000 years ago up to the beginning of the 21st century. It is hoped that this book will incite the interest of the readers to understand the evolution of science from rudimentary ideas such as those practiced in alchemy and medicine, to the sophisticated and complex ideas in the modern time, not only to understand the world but also to apply them in engineering and biotechnology to solve human problems, most of which are created by irrational public policies.