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The Politics, Perception, and Philosophy of Physics (F34PPP)

Explore the intersection of politics, perception, and philosophy in physics. Covering topics like scientific knowledge, epistemology, and the scientific method. Recommended readings and assessment details included.

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The Politics, Perception, and Philosophy of Physics (F34PPP)

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  1. The Politics, Perception, and Philosophy of Physics (F34PPP) Philip Moriarty School of Physics & Astronomy University of Nottingham Room C103 philip.moriarty@nottingham.ac.uk www.muircheartblog.wordpress.com

  2. Lecture 1: Science Proves Nothing • What we’ll cover in F34PPP (and some disclaimers) • Timetable and assessment • Observations and facts (or “facts”?) • Deduction, induction, and Bacon • Is science irrational? • Are we unbiased?

  3. F34PPP in brief All sessions in A16 Psychology, 15:00, Mondays (Autumn semester)

  4. Harry Collins http://sites.cardiff.ac.uk/harrycollins/main-books/

  5. Karen Lumsden https://karenlumsden.co.uk/

  6. F34PPP in brief: Recommended reading • What is this thing called science?, 3rd edition, AF Chalmers (Open University Press, 1999) • Understanding philosophy of science, J. Ladyman (Routledge, 2002) • Philosophy of science: A very short introduction, S. Okasha (Oxford University Press, 2002)

  7. F34PPP in brief -- assessment • An opinion piece (along the lines of a one-page Physics World article, 1000-1500 words) [Deadline: Nov. 15] 30% • A "feature article" (2000-2500 words, in the style of a broadsheet article) [Deadline: Dec. 20] 70%

  8. Suggested blog post topics • Should scientists have to justify their research in terms of its socioeconomic impact? • Do social media have a role to play in the scientific process? • When should scientists “go public” with their results? • Should Google have sacked James Damore? • Is “many worlds”/multiverse theory science? • Can science be crowd-funded? • Is peer review working? • Should universities cut back on funding of PhD positions? • Is Richard Dawkins closed-minded?

  9. Please send me your suggestions for blog post themes: philip.moriarty@nottingham.ac.uk

  10. f34ppp.com

  11. Science – more than just a technology driver http://www.4004.com/assets/PB120046.JPG • How is scientific knowledge different from other forms of knowledge? [Epistemology] • Can we define the scientific method? www.spreadshirt.co.uk/logic+t-shirts

  12. Science: Rational, logical, objective?

  13. Science proves nothing

  14. http://xkcd.com/154/

  15. http://xkcd.com/154/ “Science is derived from the facts” (Chalmers, p. 1)

  16. …but are our eyes good enough?

  17. And can we trust our ears?

  18. Preview: Bayes and prior information “Your brain is always making use of prior information to make sense of new information coming in.”

  19. Seeing is believing?

  20. Seeing is believing?: Striped nanoparticles

  21. Seeing is believing?: Striped nanoparticles

  22. Seeing is believing?: Striped nanoparticles

  23. Do we really see intermolecular bonds? Zhang et al., Science 342 611 (2013)

  24. Do we really see intermolecular bonds?

  25. https://muircheartblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/05/if-it-looks-like-a-duck/https://muircheartblog.wordpress.com/2015/07/05/if-it-looks-like-a-duck/

  26. Times Higher Education 26/09/2019

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