பண்டைத் தமிழ்ப் பனுவல்களில் வாழ்க்கை அறிவியல்

Life Sciences in Ancient Tamil Texts

Abstract

Although the origin of this world cannot be asserted with certainty, the manner of investigating its operational system is known as science. The perspective of operating through the realization of cause-and-effect relationships is the scientific viewpoint. Viewed from this perspective, the ideas presented about nature, the body-life relationship, sensory development, and culture in Sangam literature, such as Tolkappiyam and Purananuru, are scientific in nature.

This paper analyzes the scientific outlook held by the ancient Tamils through the five elements theory, the evolutionary theory of living beings from one-sensed to six-sensed organisms, and the analogy between the human body and nature. This article attempts to establish that such an ancient Tamil perspective is applicable to contemporary human life and serves as a relevant living ethic.