Physics 361: Science and Culture What is this course about anyways?

Thematic divisions In the first segment we focus on the development of science and scientific inquiry as an discipline distinct from religion. In the second segment the focus is on the development of a new cosmological model (esp in physics and astronomy). In the third segment attention turns to relationship between humans, science, and the environment. 1: both deal with nature, but do so from radically different perspectives 2: cosmological: an important assumption, cosmos=equals order. We assume at some level that there is an identifiable order in natural events; might be degrees of probability 3: religion assumes that human behavior affects nature; in the modern period and perhaps for different reasons, human behavior can have that effect…at least in some cases?

‘reality and clarity are complementary’ Niels Bohr That is, one cannot have both at the same time. Nonetheless, in the popular imagination we want to believe that this is not the case. To have both provides a kind of security Unfortunately culture often gets in the way of determining reality. Bias; incomplete data, instrument failure, etc. «Klarheit und Wahrheit sind (gleichzeitig) nicht möglich» (Niels Bohr, Atomphysiker und Nobelpreisträger).

Questions I [jn] How does culture affect scientific discovery? How does scientific discovery affect culture? How are these connected? and what are the limitations to this kind of feedback? How does society cope with scientific ideas that appear to be counter-intuitive? How does culture promote or discourage scientific investigation? Surpport for military research? To cure cancer? To explore the universe? The chemistry of human behavior? How does the triumph of a new scientific paradigm affect culture? Man no longer at center of universe? Chemistry can promote human health, but it can also be used in warfare

Questions II [gb] Why should society support science? What is the economic price of knowledge acquisition? If its too high what do we do? How can cultural change be measured and explained? What is the “Truth” and who is its gatekeeper? What happens when the “Truth” is unacceptable to the masses?

Questions III [jn] What is the connection between Science and Religion? Is science a system of belief? Is religion a science? What does it mean when we claim to find order in nature? Is nature really ordered or are we forcing it to appear that way so that we can explain it ? Overview of chaos theory: the more closely one examines the orderly the more chaotic it appears; the more closely we examine chaos, the more orderly it appears to be.

Sub Texts [gb] Issues that will permeate throughout the course but may not be addressed explicitly Cooperation versus Competition as the means to achieve the ideal state/government Why do we so easily treat nature as a consumable? Is there a difference between humans and animals?

More Sub Texts [jn&gb] Why do we require certainty in order to make decisions? Can we trust our senses? How can we ‘be sure’? How do reason and experience interact? Is rationalism superior to empiricism? Of the latter to the former? Has anything really changed for 10,000 years in terms of human behavior and human/institutional structures? Has science ever impacted the way in which society functions? What does it mean to be ‘enlightened’?

Max Planck “We have no right to assume that any physical laws exist, or if they have existed up to now, that they will continue to exist in a similar manner in the future.” Whatever can he mean?