6 SCIENTIST 



the way it was, and they were bright enough to see that 

 new knowledge might lead to a different kind of society that 

 would be harder to control. For those who see some rela- 

 tionship between creativity in the arts and scientific creativ- 

 ity, it is interesting to note the conclusion of scholars that 

 much the best and most original painting and sculpture was 

 done during the early dynastic periods in these monolithic 

 societies. Later on, art forms became conventionalized and 

 repetitive much as did the scientific effort. 



The Greeks had a very different kind of society and a 

 very different attitude toward knowledge. Greek civilization 

 was much less centralized and was much more interested in 

 variety and individual achievement than were the great 

 river civilizations. Agriculture was less highly organized, 

 and trading with other parts of the world played a much 

 greater role. All this resulted in a society that was more 

 ready to change and much freer in thought than were the 

 irrigation societies of the great river valleys. 



The advancement of knowledge seems to have been less 

 closely tied to developing the means of production and per- 

 haps more concerned with determining man's place in na- 

 ture and in answering the question, "What is the good life?" 

 In this sense the Greeks were perhaps somewhat more de- 

 voted to "pure" science and somewhat less to its applied 

 aspects than the people who came before or after them. 

 Science was, in fact, closely related to philosophy and 

 played an important role in the total effort made by the 

 Greeks to understand and enjoy life in all its aspects. 



Since the Greeks did so well in the development of 

 mathematics and astronomy and made a good start in medi- 

 cine and biology, it is difficult to understand why the world 

 had to wait nearly 2,000 years for the development of 

 science as we know it. Doubtless many factors were in- 

 volved, but there is one to which I would like to call atten- 



