Extract

The book covers a lot of ground. Weighing in at a mere 139 smallish pages of text including notes, the volume tackles a large set of even larger questions involving many centuries, scores of individuals, and several traditions (Greece, China, sometimes India, and at points Assyria and Babylonia). According to the Introduction, the three main issues dealt with in the book are how, what, and why of ancient investigation: ‘how it was thought it should be pursued, what was assumed about what there is to be investigated, and what investigation was thought to be good for’ (p. 1; cf. pp. 113, 116). While freely utilizing the word ‘science’ to cover all relevant constellations, Lloyd stresses how today's version of science ‘differs profoundly and substantially’ (p. 131) from the ancient traditions he investigates. He does not in the book offer a corresponding judgement concerning the relations between each of the ancient traditions, but it appears he considers them to be closer to each other than either of them is to today's (manifold) situation.

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