From Alchemy to Atoms

In this episode we will learn about the impact of the Roman Empire on scientific thought. As opposed to the Greeks who approached mathematics and science from a philosophical perspective in order to better understand the universe, the Romans had a much more utilitarian view of these topics. As the Roman Empire sought to increase its influence over much of the known world, they were aided by the knowledge possessed by their Greek neighbors. They used this knowledge to improve their military, connect

In this episode, we continue learning about the Hellenistic Age in which Greek thinkers made many important advances in the fields of mathematics and astronomy. Part 2 features the stories of Eratosthenes, Apollonius of Perga, and Hipparchus. These three men contributed significantly to our understanding of the world and universe that surrounds us, including measuring the circumference of the Earth using shadows and laying the groundwork for modern trigonometry. Thanks for listening! I would love to

In this episode, we continue our journey through the history of ancient Greece into the Hellenistic Age. We start with a history lesson about Alexander the Great and his military campaign that spread Greek influence and culture across most the ancient world. After his death, Greece would experience its golden age, known as the Hellenistic Period. During this period, Greek mathematicians laid the foundation for modern mathematics and utilized the mathematical principles they developed to create new

On the last episode, we discussed the ideas of the pre-Socratic philosophers. Their ideas and metaphysical concepts had a large influence on the next generation of philosophers, including the man considered to be the founder of western philosophy, Socrates. Socrates's work and his personal approach to philosophy forever changed the world and the altered the thinking of all those who followed him. Among Socrates's followers was another of the great Greek philosophers, Plato. Plato

Welcome to the very first episode of From Alchemy to Atoms! In this episode, you'll learn about the origins of scientific thought rooted in the ideas of the pre-Socratic philosophers. These ancient Greek philosophers rejected supernatural explanations for natural phenomena and developed many of the fundamental principles that are still present in modern mathematics and science. The ideas first proposed by the pre-Socratic philosophers heavily influenced Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, and by