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George Sarton Biography

George Alfred Leon Sarton (/ˈsɑːrtən/; 31 August 1884 – 22 March 1956), was a Belgian-born American chemist and historian. He is considered the founder of the discipline of the history of science. He has a significant importance in the history of science and his most influential work was the Introduction to the History of Science, which consists of three volumes and 4,296 pages. Sarton ultimately aimed to achieve an integrated philosophy of science that provided a connection between the sciences and the humanities, which he referred to as "the new humanism".

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George Sarton Quotes

In ancient times there was no public education, except that of the forum, the theater, and the street, and the general degree of illiteracy was very high. . . . the early men of science were left very much to themselves and such a phrase as "the scientific culture of Alexandria in the third century B. C. " does not cover any reality. In a sense, this is still true today; the real pioneers are so far ahead of the crowd (even a very literate crowd) that they remain almost alone.

Degree, Men, Real, Science, Theater, Today

I am obliged to deal with hundreds of men and to make them live without killing the reader.

Hundreds, Killing, Live, Men, Reader

It is childish to assume that science began in Greece; the Greek "miracle" was prepared by millenia of work in Egypt, Mesopotamia and possibly in other regions. Greek science was less an invention than a revival.

Egypt, Miracle, Greek, Invention, Science

Wisdom is not mathematical, nor astronomical, nor zoological; when it talks too much of any one thing it ceases to be itself. There are wise physicists, but wisdom is not physical; there are wise physicians, but wisdom is not medical.

Wise, Physicians, Too Much, Medical, Talks

There are but few saints amongst scientists, as among other men, but truth itself is a goal comparable with sanctity.

Men, Goal, Saint, Among, Saints

A deed happens in a definite place at a definite time, but if it be sufficiently great and pregnant, its virtue radiates everywhere in time and space.

Deeds, Everywhere, Place, Space, Time, Virtue

The main, as well as the least obvious, achievement of the Middle Ages was the creation of the experimental spirit and this was primarily due to the Muslims down to the 12th century.

12Th, Achievement, Age, Muslims, Spirit

The ability of nonintelligent people to understand the most complicated mechanisms and to use them has always been to me a cause of astonishment: their inability to understand simple questions is even more astonishing. The general acceptance of simple ideas is difficult and rare, and yet it is only when simple, fundamental, ideas have been accepted that further progress becomes possible on a higher level.

Acceptance, Simple, Ideas, Progress, Ability, Becomes

All men are our brothers. As far as the discovery of the truth is concerned, they are all working for the same purpose; they may be separated by the accidents of space and time, and by the exigencies of race, religion, nationality, and other groupings; from the point of view of eternity they are working together.

Brother, Men, Space, Working, Exigencies, Brothers

Some forty years of experience in my field as a scholar and as a teacher have given me great confidence mixed with greater humility.

Humility, Scholar, Teacher, Years

The whole iconography of ancient science is simply the fruit of wishful thinking.

Thinking, Iconography, Fruit, Wishful

Greek culture is pleasant to contemplate because of its great simplicity and naturalness, and because of the absence of gadgets, each of which is sooner or later a cause of servitude.

Absence, Cause, Contemplate, Culture, Greek, Simplicity

If we are generous enough, we can stretch our souls everywhere and everywhen else. If we succeed in doing so, we shall discover that our present embraces the past and the future and that the whole world is our province.

Past, Soul, World, Present, Embraces, Succeed

From the humanistic point of view every human achievement is unforgettable and immortal in its essence, even if it is replaced by a "better" one.

Views, Essence, Achievement, Unforgettable, Immortal

The historical order is very interesting, but accidental and capricious; if we would to understand the growth of knowledge, we cannot be satisfied with accidents, we must explain how knowledge was gradually built up.

Accidents, Capricious, Growth, Historical, Interesting, Order

Men of science have made abundant mistakes of every kind; their knowledge has improved only because of their gradual abandonment of ancient errors, poor approximations, and premature conclusions.

Mistake, Men, Errors, Science, Knowledge, Gradual

Ancient portraits are symbolic images without any immediate relation to the individuals represented; they are not portraits as we understand them. . . . It is remarkable that philologists who are capable of carrying accuracy to the extremes in the case of words are as credulous as babies when it comes to "images," and yet an image is so full of information that ten thousands words would not add up to it.

Baby, Portraits, Add, Babies, Image, Ancient

The most malicious kind of hatred is that which is built upon a theological foundation.

Hatred, Atheism, Foundation, Kind, Theological

The main duty of the historian of mathematics, as well as his fondest privilege, is to explain the humanity of mathematics, to illustrate its greatness, beauty and dignity, and to describe how the incessant efforts and accumulated genius of many generations have built up that magnificent monument, the object of our most legitimate pride as men, and of our wonder, humility and thankfulness, as individuals. The study of the history of mathematics will not make better mathematicians but gentler ones, it will enrich their minds, mellow their hearts, and bring out their finer qualities.

Accumulated, Heart, Humility, Legitimate, Pride, Thankfulness

The Hellenistic world was international to a degree, polyglot and inspired by many religious faiths. . . . the Greek ideals were pagan and the Hellenistic age witnessed their death struggle against Asiatic and Egyptian mysteries , on the one side, and against Judaism , on the other.

Death, Greek, Hellenistic, Religious, Struggle

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