From Thales to Aristotle and Heron of Alexandria: The development of hydrology in the Greek antiquity and its relevance to modern times (invited)

A brief overview of the developments of hydrology in ancient Greek is followed by an appraisal of the conditions that allowed the developments. Comparing these conditions with modern ones we may observe or conjecture the following, with respect to contemporary times: (a) Modern western societies, unlike those in ancient Greece, dislike diversity of opinion and push toward shaping consensus doctrines. (b) Adherence to doctrines is preferred over original thinking and scientific enquiry. (c) Research funding is directed to what interests political and economic elites. (d) Scientific debate on sensitive issues is strongly discouraged and freedom of opinion and expression is suppressed. (e) Recycling of stereotypes (e.g. about climate change and sustainable development, which are reiterated in most scientific papers and conferences) has replaced novelty, and this does not lead to progress. (f) All these are contrary to the lessons learned from ancient Greeks, who put the emphasis on freedom and unconditional pursuit of truth, and also developed the notion of democracy, which is severely abused in modern societies. (g) At the same time, all these are clear signs of substantial decadence of western civilization, with a full collapse being a likely possibility.