The Ideals of Inquiry

An Ancient History

Nonfiction, Religion & Spirituality, Philosophy, Ancient, Science & Nature, Science
Cover of the book The Ideals of Inquiry by G. E. R. Lloyd, OUP Oxford
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: G. E. R. Lloyd ISBN: 9780191016097
Publisher: OUP Oxford Publication: May 29, 2014
Imprint: OUP Oxford Language: English
Author: G. E. R. Lloyd
ISBN: 9780191016097
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Publication: May 29, 2014
Imprint: OUP Oxford
Language: English

Long before science as we know it today existed, sophisticated studies of the external world were undertaken, notably in Mesopotamia, India, China, and Greece. G. E. R. Lloyd explores three interrelated issues concerning those investigations. This first issue is methods—how was it thought that they should be pursued? The second is subject-matter—what was assumed about what there is to be investigated? The third issue is aims and value—what were such investigations thought to be good for? Thus how did an ideal of demonstration that would yield incontrovertible conclusions come to arise and what did it owe to the political institutions of the society in which it first developed, namely ancient Greece? Debate has been widely practised and not just in literate societies: Lloyd's second chapter draws up a taxonomy of ancient debates and discusses how the ideals of transparency and accountability were made explicit. Then how did ideas about the need to undertake systematic research come to be formulated and such research practised, and what obstacles did it face? Different equally valid assumptions have been made about what there is to be investigated, reflecting what is here called the multidimensionality of the phenomena, and different ancient investigators entertained different aims for their work, mirroring but sometimes going beyond the current values of their society. Taking stock of all this diversity, the final chapter spells out the implications for our understanding of the history of human reasoning in general, exploring its commonalities and where and why it has manifested and continues to manifest specificities across different populations.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Long before science as we know it today existed, sophisticated studies of the external world were undertaken, notably in Mesopotamia, India, China, and Greece. G. E. R. Lloyd explores three interrelated issues concerning those investigations. This first issue is methods—how was it thought that they should be pursued? The second is subject-matter—what was assumed about what there is to be investigated? The third issue is aims and value—what were such investigations thought to be good for? Thus how did an ideal of demonstration that would yield incontrovertible conclusions come to arise and what did it owe to the political institutions of the society in which it first developed, namely ancient Greece? Debate has been widely practised and not just in literate societies: Lloyd's second chapter draws up a taxonomy of ancient debates and discusses how the ideals of transparency and accountability were made explicit. Then how did ideas about the need to undertake systematic research come to be formulated and such research practised, and what obstacles did it face? Different equally valid assumptions have been made about what there is to be investigated, reflecting what is here called the multidimensionality of the phenomena, and different ancient investigators entertained different aims for their work, mirroring but sometimes going beyond the current values of their society. Taking stock of all this diversity, the final chapter spells out the implications for our understanding of the history of human reasoning in general, exploring its commonalities and where and why it has manifested and continues to manifest specificities across different populations.

More books from OUP Oxford

Cover of the book Territory and Ideology in Latin America by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Narratives of Islamic Legal Theory by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Political Philosophy: A Very Short Introduction by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book John and Philosophy by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Pocketbook for PACES by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Age of the Efendiyya by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Crusades: A Very Short Introduction by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book SBA MCQs for the MRCS Part A by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Euler's Pioneering Equation by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book EU Legal Acts by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book A Redactional Study of the Book of Isaiah 13-23 by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Culture of International Arbitration and The Evolution of Contract Law by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Oxford Handbook of British Philosophy in the Seventeenth Century by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book Objectivity: A Very Short Introduction by G. E. R. Lloyd
Cover of the book The Lives of the Poets by G. E. R. Lloyd
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy