PHYS P20 Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: René Descartes, Helen Dukas, Mccarthyism
5 Dec 2016
School
Department
Course
Professor
Document Summary
Scientists are computers: a scie(cid:374)tist"s ideal, pure rationality and objectivity = no room for decision-making, questioning, or judgment. All correct conclusions are fully determined by data and within theories. Established knowledge: knowing enough to deduce all else > the only limitation is the shortage of data and time, rene descartes. Tried to explain everything physical in terms of matter in motion (e. g. pressure, heat, inertia) With this, he believed nothing in the world is unexpected: pierre simon laplace. Thought it was possible to understand all of astronomy in terms of gravitation and the collision of masses (a newtonian framework) Scientists are geniuses: this balances the myth of scientist as computer, pure subjectivity, insight and intuition, he k(cid:374)o(cid:449)s (cid:373)ore tha(cid:374) others, a(cid:374)d ca(cid:374) u(cid:374)lock the u(cid:374)i(cid:448)erse"s secrets > a ro(cid:373)a(cid:374)tic i(cid:373)age, einstein. Few could understand his theory of space and time.
