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Today: History of Science: Why should we care? Week 2, Lesson 4 Friday, September 11, 1998

SOSC 111 - Science, Technology and Society. Today: History of Science: Why should we care? Week 2, Lesson 4 Friday, September 11, 1998 Dr. Vincent Duffy - IEEM http://www-ieem.ust.hk/dfaculty/duffy/111 email: vduffy@ust.hk. 1. Overview for today. Video - Prof. Richard Feynman

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Today: History of Science: Why should we care? Week 2, Lesson 4 Friday, September 11, 1998

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  1. SOSC 111 - Science, Technology and Society Today: History of Science: Why should we care? Week 2, Lesson 4 Friday, September 11, 1998 Dr. Vincent Duffy - IEEM http://www-ieem.ust.hk/dfaculty/duffy/111 email: vduffy@ust.hk 1

  2. Overview for today • Video - Prof. Richard Feynman • Insights into the thinking of a scientist • What lessons does he teach us as engineers • Time to finish making teams • recall: Science/Scientists • A community of people concerned with the systematic search for knowledge about the world. • more value placed on theory. • with distinct tradition of practice

  3. Video about Richard Feynman • Who is he? • he is a scientist, professor at CalTech • Nobel prize winner • His origins • grew up from humble family • father was a clothing salesman in New York • His father taught him • question conventional wisdom • enthusiasm for inquiry

  4. Questions of the day (QOTD) • Q1. What does Professor Feynman challenge us to do? • Does he think it is useless to brush teeth? • Not really. • Why does he question this? • He wants evidence • the scientist wants scientific evidence, data

  5. Q.2 What important lesson does he illustrate in segment 2 of the video? Why does he say ‘history is fundamentally irrelevant?’ • without the historical knowledge of the field, we will repeat the past • maybe without success • maybe without progress • maybe repeating the failure of others • however, history doesn’t give ‘new’ answers

  6. Questions of the day (QOTD) • Q3. What does he say about names and knowledge? How does he illustrate this? • Knowing the names doesn’t tell you anything about the thing • we can learn : • it is very important to know and recognize • “when you know”: • 1. “what you know” and • 2. “what you dont know”

  7. Questions of the Day (QOTD) • Q.4. What makes him unique? What important lesson does he illustrate in segment 2 of the video? • his enthusiasm for inquiry • questioning attitude • scientist: cares of the what and why

  8. History of Science • China • At least 1500 A.D, maybe as early as 1000 A.D. • sometimes secret traditions kept knowledge from spreading • Scientific revolution (1600s) • characterized by development of • experimentation, measurement and mathematical analysis • anyone could do it. • no more ‘it is correct’ because you were king or priest • the world and nature’s secrets could be revealed to anyone

  9. Western science (3-400B.C.): • Ancient Greece: began to consider natural • (geometry and physical explanations) • rather than supernatural (witches, etc.) explanations of the world

  10. Administrative issues • Reading: History of Science • First chapter of text - put on web page • Form groups of 3 or 4 • Please prepare a team sheet w/photos • for Monday 14th, or latest Wednesday 16th. • If anyone will not have a group, please let me know and I will help to form the group. • Please send me email if you need help to form a group. 14

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