This book of reference is the result of a long lasted scientific research carried out by a group of historians of science, within the Program of History of Science of the Institute of Neohellenic Research of the National Hellenic Research Foundation and under the coordination of Prof. Yannis Karas. Mathematics, physics, biology, geology, geography, astronomy and medicine have been studied by the Greek scholars of the 18th century, in a level which cannot be considered as elementary. One of the conclusions of the authors of this book is that the Greek scholars of the 18th century worked on an ideological “project” in order to enlighten the Greek communities and to lead them to a national revival, which was also scientific, social and political.
Indeed, Greek scholars of the Enlightenment considered that the Greek communities of the Ottoman Empire (and therefore belonging to the periphery of Europe) should prove that they were a component of the western civilization. Towards that way, these scholars tried to transmit to these communities the knowledge they acquired during their studies in European universities.