Talk:The History of Scientific Publishing

On 2023-03-04 i asked ChatGPT :

Find references as related work for: According to Wikipedia's Timeline of scientific experiments the first such experiment was conducted by Empedocles in the 5th century BC some 2.500 years ago. Personally i do not share this view of history after having read The Dawn of Everything which outlines how much human activity of the past is being ignored by todays accounts just because people did not have the tools to communicate their findings in a way that preserved it for future generations in the original code.

So lets imagine some Human being of the far past say 100.000 ore more years ago conducting something we would call a scientific experiment these days, e.g. trying out different ways of coloring clay for body painting and later wall murals.

The "scienfific communication" in this case would have been based on oral/vocal/language which is thesed day is assumed to be well established in the human community at the time. 

The Chat GPT answer below seems to have made up some of the references instead of properly citing real ones. See e.g. Karenleigh A. Overmann's 2014 publications

Chat GPT answer

There are a few references related to the idea that scientific experiments may have been conducted in the distant past, but that their findings have been lost or overlooked by modern historians. Here are a few sources:

   "The case for prehistoric origins of scientific thought" by Colin Renfrew, published in Proceedings of the British Academy in 2006. Renfrew argues that certain artifacts found at archaeological sites, such as the Ishango bone from the Democratic Republic of Congo, suggest that early humans may have had an understanding of basic mathematical concepts. He also suggests that the use of fire, the domestication of plants and animals, and the development of metallurgy could all be seen as examples of scientific experimentation and innovation.

   "Prehistoric technology: a cognitive science?" by Karenleigh A. Overmann, published in World Archaeology in 2014. Overmann explores the idea that early humans may have engaged in scientific experimentation as a way of developing new technologies. She argues that certain stone tools, such as bifaces, may have been created through a process of trial and error, with the makers testing out different techniques and materials to see what worked best.

   "The evolution of scientific reasoning from preliterate societies to contemporary times" by David L. Silverman, published in the Journal of Theoretical and Philosophical Psychology in 2013. Silverman traces the development of scientific reasoning from early human societies to the present day, arguing that it has always been present in some form, even if it has not always been recognized as such by contemporary observers. He suggests that early humans may have engaged in scientific experimentation as a way of understanding the world around them and developing new technologies.

   "Archaeology and the origins of science" by William R. Shea, published in Interdisciplinary Science Reviews in 2002. Shea argues that the scientific method has its roots in prehistoric times, and that early humans engaged in scientific experimentation as a way of understanding natural phenomena. He suggests that the development of agriculture, astronomy, and medicine all involved scientific experimentation, even if the methods used were not always systematic or rigorous by modern standards.

These sources all suggest that scientific experimentation may have been present in some form in prehistoric times, but that the findings of these early experiments have been lost or overlooked by modern historians. They also suggest that early humans may have engaged in scientific experimentation as a way of understanding the world around them and developing new technologies.