tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post3542769115144432738..comments2023-10-20T10:08:03.133+01:00Comments on SomeBeans: The past is a foreign countrySomeBeanshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11076372969807940310noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-70279009707677627532010-02-21T07:37:42.228+00:002010-02-21T07:37:42.228+00:00@twaza I've been reading more history of scien...@twaza I've been reading more history of science over the holiday. It turns out I prefer my history processed rather than raw. To me original material is too much of a slog.<br /><br />I think I look for the character of scientists when I read history, and also the structures in which they operated.SomeBeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11076372969807940310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-40180704582960623242010-02-19T14:23:53.421+00:002010-02-19T14:23:53.421+00:00PS I got called away --- just want to add that the...PS I got called away --- just want to add that the snippet of information about Maxwell not having modern mathematical tools makes his achievements even more impressive. It is like climbing an intellectual Mount Everest on your own, without sherpas or bottled oxygen.twaza (@wassabeee on twitter)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11078200068429582694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-27306598217770540922010-02-19T13:29:46.054+00:002010-02-19T13:29:46.054+00:00I found your post really interesting --- I have be...I found your post really interesting --- I have been wondering recently why different types of history interest different people.<br /><br />I find the history of events (who did what, when) boring. But, the history of characters and ideas I find fascinating.<br /><br />The problem with throwing a bit of history into science is that it tends to be about events: an apple fell on Newton's head on such a date and then he invented gravity.<br /><br />Interesting history brings Newton's character to life, and explains the questions that plagued him and how he tried to answer them.<br /><br />(Thanks to Dainty Ballerina for reminding me of this post!)twaza (@wassabeee on twitter)https://www.blogger.com/profile/11078200068429582694noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-84711855859649864212009-11-16T19:14:06.621+00:002009-11-16T19:14:06.621+00:00@CJR I'm in favour of introducing "better...@CJR I'm in favour of introducing "better" history. Not sure whether this is best done as standalone modules or integrated into the rest of teaching.<br /><br />I don't think I ever shook off my appreciation of the magnitude of what earlier scientists achievedSomeBeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11076372969807940310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-32097652392048359312009-11-16T16:12:49.400+00:002009-11-16T16:12:49.400+00:00Making science completely ahistorical can have it&...Making science completely ahistorical can have it's drawbacks, however. When all you learn about is the end-product, and not at least some of the history of an idea, the incremental improvements and gains in intellectual ground which eventually led to the formula or theory in your textbooks, then it's very hard to connect the scientific achievements of the past with what you, yourself, could possibly achieve as a scientist. I had to struggle a bit in my late teens with the impression that successful scientists seemingly pulled fundamental equations and theories out of thin air - and since this was something that I could never see myself doing, I wondered if despite my interest perhaps I shouldn't be pursuing science as a career. Humanising past (and present) scientists a little - showing that whilst of course they were clever, there was some struggle involved - can give encouragement to the scientists of the future.Chris Rhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10923865059164569384noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-1941963738390866432009-11-16T11:56:51.720+00:002009-11-16T11:56:51.720+00:00@LucyInglis - we're using history decoratively...@LucyInglis - we're using history decoratively! Which is the best excuse I can come up with. To be fair though, I think Isaac Newton is the most encumbered with anecdotes. <br /><br />I've read a couple of Dava Sobel's books, and enjoyed them.<br /><br />(Thank you all for your kind remarks)SomeBeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11076372969807940310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-78069837402710791762009-11-16T09:19:55.994+00:002009-11-16T09:19:55.994+00:00Great post. I'm always amazed that people who...Great post. I'm always amazed that people who take evidence so seriously (scientists) are prepared to spout anecdotes about Newton's cat-flap and so forth. <br /><br />I think Dava Sobel has written a lot of sense on this subject, and I think her books are an admirable amalgamation of both history and science. Her writing process is interesting and can be read about on her website if you have five minutes to spare.Lucy Inglishttp://georgianlondon.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-6048069372682709292009-11-15T13:18:41.379+00:002009-11-15T13:18:41.379+00:00@gentlemanadmn - seeing the historians "at tw...@gentlemanadmn - seeing the historians "at tweet" stimulated this. If you're interested in collaborative blogging via Wave on history of science then I'm game.<br /><br />@bill hilton - I think there's a lot to be said for clarifying that what you might think of history in an undergraduate science degree is no such thing. My (slightly stale) experience of teaching undergrads physics (and my own personal prejudice) is that you'd probably be better trying to integrate (or sneak in) more historical and philosophical ideas into current modules. <br /><br />I'm quite a consumer of scientific biography, but when I tried out a history of science book (culled from the OU reading list) I found it rather dull and didn't get very far. I managed "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" and I think I benefited from some of the ideas but towards I got the feeling of an idea too widely applied. These days I get fractious when people bang on about paradigm shifts!SomeBeanshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11076372969807940310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-45788152511932830932009-11-15T12:06:41.960+00:002009-11-15T12:06:41.960+00:00A good post.
There could well be some value in ex...A good post.<br /><br />There could well be some value in extending the amount of history taught to undergrad scientists. For example, a quick overview of Bacon and the origins of scientific method could be useful; inductive vs. deductive reasoning, and so on. <br /><br />Equally useful could be a smattering of philosophy: thinkers from Plato to Popper have influenced the way science is done, and trainee scientists would probably bring a broader view to their subject if they knew a little of the background.<br /><br />I also think historians would benefit from a bit more scientific training, because the way they approach evidence is rather similar to the way scientists do. When I wrote my MA dissertation (which lay in the badlands between English lit and history) I included a fair bit of statistical and mapping material. It baffled one or two of my contemporaries and several departmental tutors: I was lucky to have a supervisor who not only understood what I was doing but, in the case of the stats, knew more about it than I did.<br /><br />The whole 'two cultures' thing is very damaging. The best people on the arts side are scientifically literate, but they are not in a majority.bill hiltonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14615229815184292509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36070744.post-74465144161251998872009-11-15T11:38:22.533+00:002009-11-15T11:38:22.533+00:00Really interesting to see your perspective on this...Really interesting to see your perspective on this, thanks for sharing.<br /><br />I have become increasingly interested in the history of science, or at least natural philosophy as it was, in the 17th Century. This is essentially the birthplace of modern scientific method. I am fascinated, intrigued, awed by science but I am less interested in the 'science' as I am in what the pursuit of the scientific ideas tells us about shifts in society, about the change in the way people think. <br /><br /> I plan to write more about this in future on my blog, but I'm a little pre-occupied with Charles II a the mo ;).Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com