Science and the Enlightenment Chapter Summary & Analysis - Chapter 5, Natural History and Physiology Summary

Chapter 5, Natural History and Physiology Summary and Analysis

The term "biology" didn't begin to be used until the end of the 18th century. Before that time and during the enlightenment, "natural history" and "physiology" covered the subject matter we now think of as biology as well as several other subject areas. In the pre-enlightenment world, still under the sway of Aristotelian distinctions, "nature" referred to anything that was not created by humans. There was much dispute about the similarities and differences between different areas of nature, as well as how humans, especially human physiology fit into the general natural scheme. Natural history and natural science started out during the enlightenment as a purely descriptive science, classifying and organizing the natural world.

In the beginning, scientists avoided looking for causes in nature and were unable to make sense of how the natural world worked. Over time, the descriptive enterprise led to speculation...
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