English College Writing Contributions of Aristotle and Galileo to Science

Question:- 

what idea is validated by the contributions of Aristotle and Galileo to science. 

Answer:-

Both Aristotle and Galileo had presented their views on force and motion which had contributed significantly to the history and physics. Aristotle’s philosophies in physics were inspired by the methodologies used by him in other academic disciplines such as biology, logic, psychology etc. Aristotle concluded from his observations that heavier objects fell faster than lighter objects. This is an oversimplified approach as it did not consider other factors such as force, motion, air resistance and material of the objects. It lacked experiment and was not adequately tested before coming to the conclusion. It was later disproved by Galileo who combined theory and application when he threw a cannonball and a musket ball from a tower. He did not merely speculate the results, rather he carried out mathematical calculations to bring together his observations and prove his point. This historic example shows that learning activities are as important as learning theories.  Speculation and observation are part of any type of learning but the practical implications are also necessary for the completion of learning. Also, external factors play an important role in learning. Although Galileo used observations and experiments and successfully pointed out the flaws in Aristotle’s conclusion, he was ignorant about gravity and also did not have access to efficient measuring devices. Hence these factors resulted in limitations of Galileo’s study of friction. His conclusion of friction as an unpredictable force is an example of this limitation. In fact, with appropriate external tools and adequate number of tests learning is enhanced which was later proved by Newton’s efforts on expanding on Galileo’s theories.

Hands-on experiments contribute to skill development and learning (A. N. van Riesen, Gijlers and Anjewierden). Students should be encouraged to apply knowledge to every day activities as well. This teaches them to evaluate information, test the theories that they learn and also connect their own thought process to the results. Existing information and facilitation of the information are both necessary to develop efficient learning and analysis skills (Hailikari, Katajavuori and Lindblom-Ylänne). The examples of both Aristotle and Galileo exhibit the importance of taking the correct approach in learning. Learning activities ensure better engagement by the students. While adequate experiments, tests and applications of knowledge are important, the need for adequate knowledge is also necessary. Learning activities are incomplete and flawed without the adequate presence of knowledge and vice-versa.