IGNOU BA/BDP FST-1 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY -NOTES

IGNOU BA/BDP FST-1 SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY -NOTES

Download Full Solved Assignment FST-1 

Q. What features of social life led to the stagnation of science in the Roman phase in the Iron Age?

Answer:
a) The Roman economy was based on loot by army and agriculture by slaves.

b) Power and wealth accumulated in the hands of a few, while the majority of the people were poor. Thus, science had no incentive to improve or to develop new techniques to improve production.

Q. The theories of science are influenced by the general intellectual atmosphere and ideas prevailing in the society - comment.

Answer:
In India, the Ayurvedic system of medicine adopted the ideas of the 'tridosas' and 'panchabutas' under the influence of the cosmogonic speculations. Also in the atomic theory, the elements of soul, 'karma', 'adrista' were introduced. In Greece, the Aristotelian views of an ideal world influenced many areas of science.

Q. New theories or practices which contradict the prevailing social ideas or philosophy came into conflict with them. They may slowly be wiped out and be revived only later in a different society -comment.

Answer:
The scientific practices of Carakas and Susrutas contradicted the ideas of the priests in Indian society. By the third or fourth century A.D, due to the opposition from orthodox religious ideas and other factors, the Ayurvedic system of medicine began to rely more on mystical 'cause' than on observations. It is only now that attempts are being made to give it a scientific basis again. 

Similarly, in Greece, Aristarchus of Samos presented a heliocentric (sun-entred) theory of planetary motion, which was not accepted because it contradicted the prevailing philosophical ideas. It was revived by Copernicus.

Q. Stability leads to social stagnation and eventually to stagnation in science.

Answer:
The decline of science in Roman empire is an illustration of this concept.

Q. Caraka-Samhita - curing method 

The most important curing method was classified under five heads, namely inducing, vomiting, giving purgative, enema, oily enema, and nasal therapy.

Q. Susruta-Samhita - Surgery

A major treatise on surgery.
i) Scrupulous attention to pre and post-surgical cleaning of the wound, implying some empirical knowledge of infection.
ii) use of anesthetics.