XPost: alt.history, alt.politics, alt.science
https://greekreporter.com/2025/06/17/strato-of-lampsacus-ancient-greek-physicist-challenged-aristotle/
Strato of Lampsacus: The Ancient Greek Physicist Who
Challenged Aristotle
. . .
Worth reading. His work and approach echoed down
through the ages, eventually influencing medieval
and enlightenment science.
Aristotle and friends assumed they could just REASON
their way to understanding nature. Minor problem,
NO DATA. We credit them for shaping the scientific
METHOD ... but they got a LOT of stuff wrong.
Strato, for a time part of Aristotle's entourage,
decided to FIND OUT STUFF - and devised numerous
methods and test apparatus to help in that. He
was likely the first to actually discern that
heavier objects fell at the same speed as light
objects. Also lots of work with air pressure
and vacuum and fluidics many others later used,
including Heron of Alexander.
He also pioneered the use of TIMING DEVICES in
experiments so he could more exactly quantify
and qualify results - come up with equations.
But - his name is now largely forgotten. However
his INFLUENCE really did help make our modern age.
"Big Dreamers" like Aristotle tend to be remembered,
but those who do the DRUDGE WORK, the ACTUAL science,
are too often lost to history.
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