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Ancient Tragedy and the Origins of Modern Science
By Michael Davis
204 pages
- Contributors:
- Includes content by:
- Publisher:
- Southern Illinois University Press
- Place of publication:
- Carbondale, IL
- Publication year:
- 1988
- Subjects:
Synopsis
Through a close reading of Sophocles' Ajax, Descartes' Discourse on Method, and Plato's Meno, Davis argues that ancient tragedy and modern science are alternative responses to the human longing for autonomy or striving to be a god.
Tragic heroes assume that through politics they can exert more control over the world than the world will allow. To them the whole world is politics, or polis. Scientists seek to control by mastering nature, which, in essence, means ...
Through a close reading of Sophocles' Ajax, Descartes' Discourse on Method, and Plato's Meno, Davis argues that ancient tragedy and modern science are alternative responses to the human longing for autonomy or striving to be a god.
Tragic heroes assume that through politics they can exert more control over the world than the world will allow. To them the whole world is politics, or polis. Scientists seek to control by mastering nature, which, in essence, means to transform the whole of the world into a Polis. Thus the issues and motivations in modern science were already present in ancient tragedy.
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Sophocles
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Ajax
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Frederick II (king of Prussia)
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Leiden, University of
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Mazzini, Giuseppe
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Table of contents
The first page of every section is available free to non-members – click a section heading to start reading now!
- Title Page iii
- Contents ix
- Foreword xi
- Acknowledgments xv
- I - Introduction 1
- 2 - Ancient Tragedy: Sophocles' Ajax1 14
- 3 - The Origin of Modern Science: Descartes' Discourse on Method I-Iii 34
- 4 - The End of Modern Science: Descartes' Discourse on Method Iv-Vi 65
- 5 - The Limit of Autonomy: Plato's Meno 98
- 6 - Conclusion 153
- Notes 161
- Bibliography 169
- Index 174