Submit your assignment through Canvas.

Note that the purpose of the homework assignments in this class is for you to do research outside of class about some of the various topics discussed in class so that you can get more learning depth about the issues. Research based questions should be answered by consulting a number of sources and responding with a fairly complete answer. Cut and paste is easily detected so make sure you synthesize an answer IN YOUR OWN WORDS!

In addition, you can work on this homework assignment in group sizes as large as 4. Collaborative research and editing is an important skill to learn so perhaps this particular class might have some benefit down the road to help you develop this skill. For each group, submit only one homework document through Canvas with all group member names on it.

The site: plato.stanford.edu is a useful reference site for many of these questions.

Question 1: The most dominant early philosophers in Ancient Greece or Thales, Anaximander and Anaximenes. Some of their contributions are summarized in the course material. Interestingly, all three of these philosophers (and more) have the same point of origin in the Greek world, the colony of Miletus. Provide a set of reasons that may have promoted the kind of intellectual thinking that occurs in Miletus, but not elsewhere in the early Greek world. Also think about the environment of Miletus which likely made Thales become highly focussed on Water as the primary element in the Air, Earth, Fire and Water system

Question 2: The atomists represent a significant counter-intellectual view of the world compared to Aristotlean thought. Who are the principal atmosists and what is their collective message about the way the world works that is in sharp contrast to that of Aristotle

Question 3: Even though Aristotle's ideas of motion were completely wrong as well as the idea the the Earth was motionless and all revolved around it - his model and ideas persist for at least 1500 years. Moreover, these erroneous ideas were re-discovered in Europe in the 12th and 13th century (largely promoted by Aquinas) and had a large appeal. Explain why you think that Aristotle's beliefs had so much power and what does it say about culture when erroneous beliefs persist as the Truth? (this is not an irrevelant question considering what just happened in Washington DC)

Question 4: For the method of Eratosthenes to work, the physical distance between Alexandria and Syene needs to be known (measured). Do some research and report on what you think the most likely method of determining this distance might have been and what the sources of error might be in that determination.

Question 5: Explain how the concept of relative motion (first introduced by Cusa around 1450 AD)) helps to promote the idea that the Earth could be going around the Sun and we might not be able to realize that.

Question 6: Explain how Kepler's second law demands that the Sun somehow influences the motion of planets and why this would seem mysterious at the time. Remember, Kepler knows nothing about gravity at this time.