Myth and Origins of Science

Examinations of various explanations of the origin of the cosmos, of human beings, and human institutions, with readings from literary, philosophical, and scientific texts. What constitutes a scientific explanation and in what respects ancient science was similar to and different from our own? Authors include Hesiod, Aeschylus, Plato, Aristotle, Hippocratic medical writings and the Presocratic fragments. Read in English translation.