Toward a Classical Historiography of Science

This paper is a prospectus for a classical historiography of science, “classical” meaning the standpoint of the physical science, mathematics, and philosophy of Greek antiquity. A classical historiography places in clearer focus the hegemony of literalist readings of modern physics. By means of a brief history of mechanics since Newton, the paper places in historical context the rhetoric of science as the highest form of knowledge. A contrast is made between modern literalism and ancient analogy as modes of thinking. Reference as addressed in twentieth-century philosophy of science is contrasted to the deferral or backgrounding of reference in proof by ancient analogia. The suggestion is made to investigate the mathematics of contemporary physics as an analogical mode of thought. The paper is directed in part to non-scientists evaluating for themselves the claim frequently made that modern scientific rationality is the universal form for knowledge.