Questions tagged [outdated-science]
For questions about worlds governed by early scientific theories rejected in the present days. (Eg. Aristotelian and Cartesian natural philosophy, classical mechanics without speed limit, worms multiplying by abiogenesis, etc.. )
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Foucault pendulum before Foucault: how do they explain it?
Foucault pendulum is a good experiment to prove Earth rotation
The Foucault pendulum or Foucault's pendulum is a simple device named after French physicist Léon Foucault and conceived as an ...
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If people had different views on biology/nature since the 1600s, would scientific and technological development be different or would it be the same? [closed]
I was reading this article, https://aeon.co/essays/can-animals-be-usefully-described-as-clockwork-machines, and was wondering if people kept viewing animals as machine like would technology and ...
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What natural occurences can be blamed on Witches but also explained with medieval science [closed]
I want to write a Story about a medieval village
This Village is plagued by a lot of misfortunes and as people are they blame it on witches but i am having a hard Time finding good occurences.
The ...
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“Doodle God” universe with only one element?
The Greek philosopher Empedocles famously postulated that the four elements comprising all matter are Fire (F), Water (W), Earth (E), and Air (A). More recently, the video game “Doodle God” has turned ...
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What did we used to "know" about space?
I want to try writing some stories based on "hard science" but set historically and based on the scientific knowledge of the time. I'm thinking probably 1800s or early 1900s, but willing to go back ...
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The muscles of these humanoids stay the same size as they get stronger: what false theories would they have about strength?
The muscles:
They have muscle tissue that can grow stronger with exercise and can atrophy with neglect just like our muscle tissue. But their muscles don't grow larger when they get stronger, and ...
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How might a medieval fantasy/magic-using society state the 2nd law of thermodynamics?
If a medieval-level society with access to things like magic (which itself follows the laws of thermodynamics) were to have some understanding of the laws of thermodynamics, how would the 2n law be ...
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How would two Jackalopes fight each other?
Considering a world with Jackalopes.
These half-rabbit half-antelope creatures stand a little over 2 feet long when fully grown and have horns like a deer growing 1 to 2 feet in length. Like deer, ...
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How do the properties of heat and fire work in Aristotelian (four elements) cosmology?
Alright, my understanding of both modern physics and classical cosmology is a little shaky, so I hope this question is neither unclear nor foolish.
Here goes: In Aristotelian cosmology all matter is ...
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What mammalian biological constraints would have to be relaxed/changed in order to allow Victorian style mixing of body parts?
A common theme in older novels and some more modern publications is that of body parts (potentially from multiple species) being 'swapped' on to new bodies and recombined in (usually grotesque) ways ...
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18th century zombie scientists
How would the Royal Society react to news of walking corpses and would germ theory or other medical sciences be advanced due to the study of them? What theories and conclusions about the cause and ...
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Aristotelian physics
Would
Aristotelian natural philosophy, with planets and Sun orbiting the Earth, and forces needed to maintain motion
Things having natural places and desiring to reach it
horror vacui
Four elements
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