Failed moonshots of the Axial Age


Thursday, July 1, 2021 - 12:15


Lab 3, C700


This is a talk about the failed attempts by various civilizations to achieve the Scientific Revolution in the 6th century BC.
​Speaker: Yasha Neiman.

In the 6th century BC, many civilizations in Eurasia tried to punch through reality and arrive in a better, less fearful place. This is the time of Lao Tsu and Confucius, of Mahavira and the Buddha, of Zoroaster (maybe), of Isaiah, Ezekiel and Jeremiah, of Thales and Pythagoras. None of them landed on the Scientific Revolution, but in a sense, they all tried. I will try to analyze their successes and failures, as a window onto the Scientific Revolution itself. 

All-OIST Category: 
