Human history as cultural history
We need to reform our teaching of history so that the emphasis will be placed on the gradual growth of human culture and knowledge, a growth to which all nations and ethnic groups have contributed.
A new freely downloadable book
I would like to announce the publication of a book which presents many aspects of science and culture in the Renaissance.
The Renaissance (meaning “Re-birth”) was a period of excitement and innovation during which Europe rediscovered the knowledge that had been lost with the burning of the Great Library of Alexandria and the decline of the brilliant Greek and Hellenistic civilizations.
The Renaissance owes much to the Islamic civilization of the middle ages which preserved the writings of such great ancient figures as Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, Hypocrites and Galen and transmitted them to the west.
Paper and printing, both invented in China, were brought. to the west during the Renaissance, and they paved the way for the explosion of knowledge which took place.
In the 12th Century, the city of Toledo in Spain was a center of translation of Greek classical manuscripts from Arabic to Latin. It was a period of tolerance in Spain, when the three Abrahamic religions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, lived together in friendly cooperation.
Another route by which ancient knowledge was transmitted to Europe was through the Greek scholars who came to the west from Byzantium, bringing with them classical manuscripts.
The Renaissance started in Italy, especially in the trading cities of Florence and Venice. Figures such as Leonardo da Vinci, Galileo, Michelangelo and Raphael belong to the Italian Renaissance. Later, the Renaissance moved northward, producing great contributions to human culture from such men as Rembrandt, Shakespeare and Newton.
The Renaissance was a crucial step towards the creation of the modern world, as we know it today.
The book may be downloaded and circulated free of charge from the following link:
https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2022/02/Lives-in-the-Renaissance-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
The book is part of a series on cultural history. Here are links the other books in the series that have, until now, been completed:
LIVES IN THE ANDIENT WORLD
https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2021/11/Lives-in-the-Ancient-World-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN THE 17TH CENTURY
https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2021/12/Lives-in-the-17th-Century-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN THE 18TH CENTURY
https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2021/10/Lives-in-the-18th-Century-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN THE 19TH CENTURY
https://eacpe.org//content/uploads/2021/09/Lives-in-the-19th-Century-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN THE 20TH CENTURY
https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2022/01/Lives-in-the-20th-Century-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN BIOLOGY
https://eacpe.org/content/uploads/2021/09/Lives-in-Biology-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES OF SOME GREAT NOVELISTS
https://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Lives-of-Some-Great-Novelists-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN MATHEMATICS
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Lives-in-Mathematics-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN EXPLORATION
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Lives-in-Exploration-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN EDUCATION
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Lives-in-Education-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN POETRY
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Lives-in-Poetry-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN PAINTING
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Lives-in-Painting-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN ENGINEERING
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Lives-in-Egineering-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN ASTRONOMY
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Lives-in-Astronomy-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN CHEMISTRY
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Lives-in-Chemistry-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN MEDICINE
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Lives-in-Medicine-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN ECOLOGY
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Lives-in-Ecology-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN PHYSICS
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Lives-in-Physics-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN ECONOMICS
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lives-in-economics-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
LIVES IN THE PEACE MOVEMENT
http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Lives-in-the-peace-movement-by-John-Scales-Avery.pdf
Other books and articles about global problems are on these links
http://eacpe.org/about-john-scales-avery/
https://wsimag.com/authors/716-john-scales-avery
I hope that you will circulate the links in this article to your friends and contacts who might be interested.
John Scales Avery is a theoretical chemist at the University of Copenhagen. He is noted for his books and research publications in quantum chemistry, thermodynamics, evolution, and history of science. His 2003 book Information Theory and Evolution set forth the view that the phenomenon of life, including its origin, evolution, as well as human cultural evolution, has its background situated in the fields of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and information theory. Since 1990 he has been the Chairman of the Danish National Group of Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs. Between 2004 and 2015 he also served as Chairman of the Danish Peace Academy. He founded the Journal of Bioenergetics and Biomembranes, and was for many years its Managing Editor. He also served as Technical Advisor to the World Health Organization, Regional Office for Europe (19881997).
http://www.fredsakademiet.dk/ordbog/aord/a220.htm. He can be reached at avery.john.s@gmail.com. To know more about his works visit this link. https://www.johnavery.info/
