I really enjoyed Dr. Cogan’s lecture on the Discovery of Oxygen. In my classics class recently, we discussed Greek and Roman understanding of science and the elements. This really played into the discussion of “How would you describe what air is made of without drawing on our understanding today?”. The Greeks knew it was an element, but believed something else “gave life” to animals and humans. It is fascinating to think about how things we would consider simple today (like what air is made of) had to be discovered at one point or another. I also enjoyed our discussion on what goes into a scientific revolution. Because it is not just science. There are social and political influences (such as figuring out how to mass produce penicillin to treat Allied Troops during World War II). There are also economic influences that go into a scientific revolution. During the period of time Priestly and Lavoisier, one had to have some sort of economic income to be allowed to pursue scientific discovery in their free time.
I find it interesting that your classics class overlapped with our discussion. I really appreciate all the interesting in class discussions and input of students’ knowledge and perspective, including your comments on Penicillin. I think like Ben Franklin and the kite, the Alexander Fleming penicillin mythology makes things appear simpler than actuality.