From Alchemy to Atoms

We are back! After a long hiatus, new episodes of the show will be dropping regularly. For the first time, we will spend an entire episode focused on a single person. Our subject will be the Greco-Roman physician known to history as Galen. Galen is known as the father of systematic because of his numerous contributions to medical history. During his fascinating life, he spent time learning his cra...

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 kn...

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 Eart...

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 f...

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 h...

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...