PSY 4130 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Recapitulation Theory, Ernst Haeckel, Mathematical Finance
5 Jun 2018
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Lecture 3: The Ancients
Serendipity: discovering something on accident
Theory Driven: formulating a theory or hypothesis and collecting evidence
Although it is helpful to know that the ancient could use constellations to know when to plant and
harvest, they began developing schemes for counting to see how many days passed between these
two events. Given that much of science is qualntitative, this is an important finding. This helps us
understand for how long humans have been doing quantitative investing rather than just making
observations.
Evidence for counting tokens exists from about 4000 BCE. Numberical record keeping appeared in
Egypt around 3400 BCE and in the SUmeria somewhat later. Babylonians (2000 BCE) did have a
counting system, but used based 60 not base 10.
Arithmetic
Arithmetic involves the basic manipulation of numbers: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and
division. Although some researchers argue that basic operations existed around 10,000 BCE, it
seems certain that arithmetic was used by the Sumerians around 3000 BCE, when money first
appeared. Arithmetic ability is important for daily activities, such as dividing resources equally
among several members of a group.
Mathematics
Theorietical — pure
Applied — useable
Evidence exists for the use of math in ancient Egypt (2000 BCE) and Babylonia (1900 BCE). For
example, Egyptians made use of geometry.
The ancient Greeks made great strides in both theoretical and appleid math.
Quantitative Analysis and the History of Science
Ontogeny — the development of an individual organism
Phylogeny — Darwinism and evolution in a larger sense
Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny — implies that our development from a fertilized egg to mature
human being in effect follows the same steps as did the evolution of humans through history. This
notion was advanced by Ernst Haeckel (1934-1919), a German biologist who was an advocate of
Darwin. This theory is not discredited. For example, the branches of the 8th cranial nerve nature at
different times through different species.
Does the individuals acquisition of quantitative skills during human development mimic the cultural
evolution of these skills?
Are children at the developmental stage of early mathematicians? Arguably no, we teach kids the
basis to skills that they will need later, early mathematicians were operating on the assumption of
finding out things to aid survival.
The Stone Age
• start of tool building
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Document Summary
Theory driven: formulating a theory or hypothesis and collecting evidence. Although it is helpful to know that the ancient could use constellations to know when to plant and harvest, they began developing schemes for counting to see how many days passed between these two events. Given that much of science is qualntitative, this is an important finding. This helps us understand for how long humans have been doing quantitative investing rather than just making observations. Evidence for counting tokens exists from about 4000 bce. Egypt around 3400 bce and in the sumeria somewhat later. Babylonians (2000 bce) did have a counting system, but used based 60 not base 10. Arithmetic involves the basic manipulation of numbers: addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. Although some researchers argue that basic operations existed around 10,000 bce, it seems certain that arithmetic was used by the sumerians around 3000 bce, when money first appeared.
