Scenarios about 'natural philosophy'
Natural philosophy was the historical term for the study of nature and physical universe before the development of modern scientific disciplines in the 19th century. It encompassed areas now separated into physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and astronomy, using observation and reasoning to understand natural phenomena. Natural philosophy represents the intellectual foundation from which modern scientific method emerged, making it crucial for alternate histories exploring different trajectories of scientific development.
What If Aristotle's Scientific Method Was More Empirical?
Exploring how Western science might have developed if Aristotle had emphasized systematic experimentation and observation over philosophical reasoning, potentially advancing scientific progress by millennia.