Year: 2016
Type: article
Abstract: Inspired by the celebration of the year of light in 2015, this article considers the long lasting interaction among man, vision and light. Our knowledge of light has greatly evolved in time together with the development of our civilization, with a tremendous boost in the last two centuries thanks to the outstanding contributions of many scholars and scientists from so many different countries. This presentation has highlighted the main steps upon which the knowledge of light has emerged, tracing the great phases in the history of science. At the same time, the use we make of light has enormously changed from ancient times when we used it to light our dwellings at night, but this is another story out of the scope of this paper. From a certain point of view, we can say that our knowledge of light, broadening in time, has increasingly enlightened our understanding of the world we live in, and, after all, the comprehension of ourselves.
Source: Proceedings of the IEEE
Author: Massimo Guarnieri
Institution: University of Padua
Language: English
Subfield: History and Philosophy of Science
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2240458221