ABSTRACT
We often look to Aristotle as the father of science in the West, but if we look earlier to the pre-Socratics, we see an approach to the human relationship with the natural world that bears similarities to systems found worldwide, particularly in the attention given to the elements. In this chapter we will draw from Asian traditional knowledge systems, in most instances intact for centuries, which have established a working cosmology, a narrative or story that emplaces the human within the cosmic order. This will not be an explication of the “science” of Asia but will be an attempt to examine several different philosophical underpinnings of Asian cultures that have infl uenced the reception of science and technology from the West. This chapter will conclude with some refl ections on the topic of intercultural globalization, with an eye on some of the ways in which Asian worldviews have now become commonplace worldwide.
