Posted by Tom on October 20, 1999 at 16:54:34:
In Reply to: Which book? posted by rpcman on October 20, 1999 at 13:27:11:
: What book (and page?) of Sagan's are you referring to?
The historical treatments I'm referring to are found in
Sagan's book and TV series Cosmos. I don't have my copy
with me to give page numbers, but I can identify the chapters.
Chapter VII deals with Greek science. Ironically Sagan denigrates
Plato and Aristotle as being anti-scientific, right after
he offers up Hypatia (Chapter I) as a scientific martyr. Hypatia
was a Platonic philosopher not a scientist, and she was not
murdered by Christians (as Sagan also alleges in the series) but by
Arian heretics–that would be like holding the Catholic Church accountable
for the deeds of the Branch Davidians. Sagan also blames Christians for the destruction
of the Alexandrian Library, without acknowledging that this is pure
conjecture. What is known for a fact is that the bulk of the
library was ordered destroyed by the Pagan Emperor Aurelian in the third century.
No one knows what parts of the collection or building survived after that point.
Historians seem to believe that part of it may have survived into the fifth century,
but Sagan's picture (in both Chapter I and XIII) of a Christian mob coming to
destroy it is make believe. This may have occurred to Sagan in one of his dreams, but
it has no factual basis. Sagan's treatment of Kepler and other 17th-century scientists
can be found in Chapter III.
Tom