Models of Change: A Common Ground for Ancient Greek Philosophy and Modern Science

Abstract

When the understanding of scientific models and archetypes comes to be considered as a reputable part of scientific culture, the gap between the sciences and the humanities will have been partly filled. For exercise of the imagination, with all its promise and its dangers, provides a common ground.¹

A first version of the present paper was presented at the Philosophy of Science Course of the International Inter-University Centre for Post-Graduate Studies in Dubrovnik, April, 1987. Thanks are due to the participants of the seminar for fruitful discussion and comments. I am particularly grateful to Rom Harré for reading my paper after the seminar and for having with me a lively and constructive discussion. I must also express my thanks to Argyris Nickolaides and Maria Nickou, of the Department of Physics, for helpful comments on the part of my paper referring to Q.M. and micro-physics. I must also add that the present paper includes ideas that were briefly presented in my paper, The Aristotelean Concept of Motion in the Light of Modern Science’ (in Greek), Macedonicon Imerologion, 1977, pp. 179–89.