User:BeefSandwich27/Science Since Babylon

Science Since Babylon is a book by historian of science Derek J. de Solla Price, first published in 1961 by Yale University Press. Based on a series of five lectures delivered at Yale University’s Sterling Memorial Library in 1959, the book traces the historical development of science, its cultural uniqueness in the West, and the exponential growth of scientific activity. An enlarged edition was issued in 1975, incorporating revised material and three new chapters.

Publication History

• 1961 – First published in London and New Haven by Yale University Press.
• 1962 – Released as a Yale Paperbound edition.
• 1975 – Enlarged edition published, adding new chapters and revised commentary.

The book is notable for Price’s pioneering observation of the exponential growth of science and his prediction that such growth would eventually encounter natural limits. It remains a foundational text in the field of scientometrics.

Themes and Contributions

• Exponential Growth of Science: Scientific publications and the number of working scientists double at regular intervals, a trend that cannot continue indefinitely.
• Peculiarity of Western Science: The scientific revolution was a cultural anomaly, made possible by the merger of Greek logical traditions with Babylonian computational skills.
• Science and Technology: Price stressed the distinction between science as an intellectual pursuit and technology as applied practice, criticizing the tendency to view science only as a source of “technological fixes.”
• Crises in Scientific Development: The book highlights pivotal moments where civilizations made decisions that shaped the trajectory of science.
• Limits of Planning: Scientific breakthroughs often arise from accidents or cross-pollination rather than deliberate planning.

Structure of the Original Lectures

The original lectures around which the book is structured highlight five major “crises”:

1. The origins of a scientific civilization that set the West apart.
2. The transformation of science from abstract thought into technology.
3. The Renaissance fusion of technology and natural philosophy.
4. The transition from 19th-century classical theories to the explosion of 20th-century discoveries.
5. Speculation on a future “internal economy” of science.

Enlarged Edition (1975)

The revised edition added three chapters:

• The History of Automata: Linking mechanical inventions to mechanistic philosophy.
• Geometrical Amulets: Exploring connections between science, symbolism, and pseudoscience.
• Relating Science and Technology: A deeper examination of their distinctions and interdependence.

In the new preface, Price warned against the utilitarian view of science and argued for preserving libertas philosophandi—freedom of inquiry for its own sake.

Chapter Summaries

1. The Peculiarity of a Scientific Civilization

Modern science is unique to Western civilization, emerging from the synthesis of Greek logical mathematics and Babylonian numerical computation. Other civilizations, like China, had both traditions but did not combine them into a scientific revolution. Price emphasizes that science is a cultural cornerstone of the West, comparable to Graeco-Roman antiquity.

2. Celestial Clockwork in Greece and China

Scientific progress is irregular and often accidental. Astronomical devices and the Antikythera mechanism demonstrate that Greek technology was highly advanced, contradicting stereotypes of a purely theoretical culture. In contrast, China achieved technological sophistication but did not develop a mathematically grounded astronomy.

3. Automata and the Origins of Mechanism and Mechanistic Philosophy

Theories of planetary motion inspired mechanical models, which in turn encouraged the development of automata. These devices reinforced the mechanistic philosophy, bridging astronomy, biology, and mechanics, and shaping early scientific worldviews.

4. Geometrical Amulets and Scientific Symbolism

Price explores the role of symbols, geometry, and talismans in connecting science with pseudoscience. Scientific and magical traditions often overlapped, and symbolic figures influenced how science was understood culturally.

5. Renaissance Roots of Yankee Ingenuity

The Renaissance merged theory and craftsmanship, producing the experimental spirit that became the foundation of modern science. Price connects this inventive culture to later American traditions of “Yankee ingenuity.”

6. The Difference Between Science and Technology

Science is distinct from technology, though linked to it. Price criticizes attempts to justify science purely on utilitarian grounds, defending science for its own sake as essential to intellectual culture and education.

7. Mutations of Science

Scientific change occurs through disruptive “mutations.” The discovery of X-rays marked a transformative moment, while the episode of N rays shows how errors can spread during periods of rapid growth. The turn of the 20th century was, for Price, an “atomic explosion” within science itself.

8. Diseases of Science

The exponential growth of science produces systemic problems. Journals double every 15 years, creating unsustainable information overload. Price warned that society could not indefinitely support such unchecked expansion without crisis.

9. Epilogue: The Humanities of Science

Science must be studied with the same scholarly legitimacy as the humanities. Price argues that understanding the history of science is essential for understanding civilization itself, and calls for deeper integration of science into cultural and educational life.

Reception and Influence

• Price’s quantitative approach to science laid the groundwork for scientometrics.
• His insights into exponential growth remain influential in debates about research, academia, and the future of scientific progress.
• Scholars such as Eric Weinstein have cited the book for its implications about the sustainability of scientific research.

References and Further Reading

• Derek J. de Solla Price, Science Since Babylon, Yale University Press (1961; enlarged ed. 1975).
• Herbert Butterfield, The Origins of Modern Science.
• George Sarton, The History of Science and the New Humanism.
• Joseph Needham, Science and Civilisation in China.
• Eric Ashby, Technology and the Academics.

External Links

• Science Since Babylon on Amazon
• Recordings of Derek J. de Solla Price’s “Neolithic to Now” lectures (Yale, 1976)