The Phoenix and the Hummingbird: Natural History from Antiquity to Evolution

Scientists love to solve mysteries. From philosophers of antiquity to contemporary citizen naturalists, study of nature has focused on the creatures that have most puzzled humankind. These have inspired natural histories: encompassing studies covering everything that could be known about an animal –from what it symbolized and how it behaved to its place in the natural order. By looking at issues of truth and its relationship to myth, direct experience, and nature’s systematization, this seminar provides an introduction to the history of science through what naturalists have written about the more mystifying creatures in the natural world.