Lecture 1: Prehistory & Classical Antiquity

Question 1

Preliterate civilisation

Answer 1

Civilisation before writing was invented

Question 2

Animism

Answer 2

Explanation of the workings of the world and the universe by means of spirits with human-like characteristics

Question 3

Pictogram

Answer 3

An information-conveying sign that consists of a picture resembling the person, animal or object it represents

Question 4

Phonogram

Answer 4

A sign that represents a sound or a syllable of spoken language; forms the basis of writing systems

Question 5

Logograph

Answer 5

A sign representing a spoken word, which no longer has a physical resemblance to the word’s meaning

Question 6

Scholastic method

Answer 6

Study method in which students unquestioningly memorise and recite texts that are thought to convey unchanging truth

Question 7

Place coding system

Answer 7

System in which the meaning of a sign not only depends on its form but also on its position in a string; is used for instance in Arabic numerals

Question 8

Fertile Crescent

Answer 8

Region in the Middle East with a high level of civilisation around 3000 ; included the Ancient Mesopotamian and the Ancient Egyptian civilisations

Question 9

Philosophy

Answer 9

Critical reflection on the universe and human functioning; started in Ancient Greece

Question 10

Syllogism

Answer 10

Argument consisting of three propositions: the major premise, the minor premise, and the conclusion. The goal if logic is to determine which syllogisms lead to valid conclusions and which do not

Question 11

Dark Ages

Answer 11

Name given in the Renaissance to the Middle Ages, to refer to the lack of independent and scientific thinking in that age

Question 12

Renaissance

Answer 12

Cultural movement from the fourteenth to the seventeenth century based on a rediscovery and imitation of the classical Greek and Roman civilisations

Question 13

Protestant Reformation

Answer 13

Movement against the Roman Catholic Church, which was important for the development of science, because it emphasised the need for education, critical thinking, hard work and worldly success

Question 14

Zeitgeist

Answer 14

Word used in the history of science to indicate that the time was right for a certain discovery; the discovery did not originate from a single genius, but from much wider development leading to the discovery

Question 15

Matthew effect

Answer 15

The tendency to give more credit to well-known scientists than they deserve; increases the perceived impact of these scientists