a history of science-1-第2章

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　implements　of　bronze；　and　then　of　iron。　Even　in　the　Stone　Age　he　was　a　mechanic　of　marvellous　skill；　as　any　one　of　to…day　may　satisfy　himself　by　attempting　to　duplicate　such　an　implement　as　a　chipped　arrow…head。　And　a　barbarian　who　could　fashion　an　axe　or　a　knife　of　bronze　had　certainly　gone　far　in　his　knowledge　of　scientific　principles　and　their　practical　application。　The　practical　application　was；　doubtless；　the　only　thought　that　our　primitive　ancestor　had　in　mind；　quite　probably　the　question　as　to　principles　that　might　be　involved　troubled　him　not　at　all。　Yet；　in　spite　of　himself；　he　knew　certain　rudimentary　principles　of　science；　even　though　he　did　not　formulate　them。　Let　us　inquire　what　some　of　these　principles　are。　Such　an　inquiry　will；　as　it　were；　clear　the　ground　for　our　structure　of　science。　It　will　show　the　plane　of　knowledge　on　which　historical　investigation　begins。　Incidentally；　perhaps；　it　will　reveal　to　us　unsuspected　affinities　between　ourselves　and　our　remote　ancestor。　Without　attempting　anything　like　a　full　analysis；　we　may　note　in　passing；　not　merely　what　primitive　man　knew；　but　what　he　did　not　know；　that　at　least　a　vague　notion　may　be　gained　of　the　field　for　scientific　research　that　lay　open　for　historic　man　to　cultivate。

It　must　be　understood　that　the　knowledge　of　primitive　man；　as　we　are　about　to　outline　it；　is　inferential。　We　cannot　trace　the　development　of　these　principles；　much　less　can　we　say　who　discovered　them。　Some　of　them；　as　already　suggested；　are　man's　heritage　from　non…human　ancestors。　Others　can　only　have　been　grasped　by　him　after　he　had　reached　a　relatively　high　stage　of　human　development。　But　all　the　principles　here　listed　must　surely　have　been　parts　of　our　primitive　ancestor's　knowledge　before　those　earliest　days　of　Egyptian　and　Babylonian　civilization；　the　records　of　which　constitute　our　first　introduction　to　the　so…called　historical　period。　Taken　somewhat　in　the　order　of　their　probable　discovery；　the　scientific　ideas　of　primitive　man　may　be　roughly　listed　as　follows：　1。　Primitive　man　must　have　conceived　that　the　earth　is　flat　and　of　limitless　extent。　By　this　it　is　not　meant　to　imply　that　he　had　a　distinct　conception　of　infinity；　but；　for　that　matter；　it　cannot　be　said　that　any　one　to…day　has　a　conception　of　infinity　that　could　be　called　definite。　But；　reasoning　from　experience　and　the　reports　of　travellers；　there　was　nothing　to　suggest　to　early　man　the　limit　of　the　earth。　He　did；　indeed；　find　in　his　wanderings；　that　changed　climatic　conditions　barred　him　from　farther　progress；　but　beyond　the　farthest　reaches　of　his　migrations；　the　seemingly　flat　land…surfaces　and　water…surfaces　stretched　away　unbroken　and；　to　all　appearances；　without　end。　It　would　require　a　reach　of　the　philosophical　imagination　to　conceive　a　limit　to　the　earth；　and　while　such　imaginings　may　have　been　current　in　the　prehistoric　period；　we　can　have　no　proof　of　them；　and　we　may　well　postpone　consideration　of　man's　early　dreamings　as　to　the　shape　of　the　earth　until　we　enter　the　historical　epoch　where　we　stand　on　firm　ground。　2。　Primitive　man　must；　from　a　very　early　period；　have　observed　that　the　sun　gives　heat　and　light；　and　that　the　moon　and　stars　seem　to　give　light　only　and　no　heat。　It　required　but　a　slight　extension　of　this　observation　to　note　that　the　changing　phases　of　the　seasons　were　associated　with　the　seeming　approach　and　recession　of　the　sun。　This　observation；　however；　could　not　have　been　made　until　man　had　migrated　from　the　tropical　regions；　and　had　reached　a　stage　of　mechanical　development　enabling　him　to　live　in　subtropical　or　temperate　zones。　Even　then　it　is　conceivable　that　a　long　period　must　have　elapsed　before　a　direct　causal　relation　was　felt　to　exist　between　the　shifting　of　the　sun　and　the　shifting　of　the　seasons；　because；　as　every　one　knows；　the　periods　of　greatest　heat　in　summer　and　greatest　cold　in　winter　usually　come　some　weeks　after　the　time　of　the　solstices。　Yet；　the　fact　that　these　extremes　of　temperature　are　associated　in　some　way　with　the　change　of　the　sun's　place　in　the　heavens　must；　in　time；　have　impressed　itself　upon　even　a　rudimentary　intelligence。　It　is　hardly　necessary　to　add　that　this　is　not　meant　to　imply　any　definite　knowledge　of　the　real　meaning　of；　the　seeming　oscillations　of　the　sun。　We　shall　see　that；　even　at　a　relatively　late　period；　the　vaguest　notions　were　still　in　vogue　as　to　the　cause　of　the　sun's　changes　of　position。　That　the　sun；　moon；　and　stars　move　across　the　heavens　must　obviously　have　been　among　the　earliest　scientific　observations。　It　must　not　be　inferred；　however；　that　this　observation　implied　a　necessary　conception　of　the　complete　revolution　of　these　bodies　about　the　earth。　It　is　unnecessary　to　speculate　here　as　to　how　the　primitive　intelligence　conceived　the　transfer　of　the　sun　from　the　western　to　the　eastern　horizon；　to　be　effected　each　night；　for　we　shall　have　occasion　to　examine　some　historical　speculations　regarding　this　phenomenon。　We　may　assume；　however；　that　the　idea　of　the　transfer　of　the　heavenly　bodies　beneath　the　earth　（whatever　the　conception　as　to　the　form　of　that　body）　must　early　have　presented　itself。　It　required　a　relatively　high　development　of　the　observing　faculties；　yet　a　development　which　man　must　have　attained　ages　before　the　historical　period；　to　note　that　the　moon　has　a　secondary　motion；　which　leads　it　to　shift　its　relative　position　in　the　heavens；　as　regards　the　stars；　that　the　stars　themselves；　on　the　other　hand；　keep　a　fixed　relation　as　regards　one　another；　with　the　notable　exception　of　two　or　three　of　the　most　brilliant　members　of　the　galaxy；　the　latter　being　the　bodies　which　came　to　be　known　finally　as　planets；　or　wandering　stars。　The　wandering　propensities　of　such　brilliant　bodies　as　Jupiter　and　Venus　cannot　well　have　escaped　detection。　We　may　safely　assume；　however；　that　these　anomalous　motions　of　the　moon　and　planets　found　no　explanation　that　could　be　called　scientific　until　a　relatively　late　period。　3。　Turning　from　the　heavens　to　the　earth；　and　ignoring　such　primitive　observations　as　that　of　the　distinction　between　land　and　water；　we　may　note　that　there　was　one　great　scientific　law　which　must　have　forced　itself　upon　the　attention　of　primitive　man。　This　is　the　law　of　universal　terrestrial　gravitation。　The　word　gravitation　suggests　the　name　of　Newton；　and　it　may　excite　surprise　to　hear　a　knowledge　of　gravitation　ascribed　to　men　who　preceded　that　philosopher　by；　say；　twenty…five　or　fifty　thousand　years。　Yet　the　slightest　consideration　of　the　facts　will　make　it　clear　that　the　great　central　law　that　all　heavy　bodies　fall　directly　towards　the　earth；　cannot　have　escaped　the　attention　of　the　most　primitive　intelligence。　The　arboreal　habits　of　our　primitive　ancestors　gave　opportunities　for　constant　observation　of　the　practicalities　of　this　law。　And；　so　soon　as　man　had　developed　the　mental　capacity　to　formulate　ideas；　one　of　the　earliest　ideas　must　have　been　the　conception；　however　vaguely　phrased　in　words；　that　all　unsupported　bodies　fall　towards　the　earth。　The　same　phenomenon　being　observed　to　operate　on　water…surfaces；　and　no　alteration　being　observed　in　its　operation　in　different　portions　of　man's　habitat；　the　most　primitive　wanderer　must　have　c