Lecture 8: Mechanical Universe Flashcards
What is the purpose of science?
It has one purpose as the word, scientia, which defines knowledge
Is this what science is today?
From the surface, many would agree that it is to find knowledge. However, science because less of an objective as we pursue warfare and profit.
What is art?
A talent that requires a lot of skills, techniques, and is difficult to learn.
Examples: Carroscuro effect, the light and dark effect, and contra posso
Who is Marcel Duchamp?
He was an artist that painted the fountain in 1917.
What was Marcel Duchamp’s argument?
He was trying to argue that regardless of the meaning of the work, the creation from that artist is the work of art.
How is Marcel Duchamp’s argument parallel to the definition of science?
Similar to an artist, scientist will create science and do it as long it follows the rule
In terms of historiography, What are the two major approaches to history?
- Internal (old one)
- External (New one)
What is internal and what was the claim?
It is an approach that uses traditional methods by historians to examine what scientists and/or engineers did in science and engineering without social (external) factors.
What is the idealistic approach in terms of internal?
These inventors/inborn geniuses would create everything through their independence and inner creativity.
What is the objective of the inventors/inborn geniuses?
To make improvements to the world.
What does Dr. Lech agree/disagree in terms of internal approach?
- Agrees that understanding the intentions of science and technology by examining the aspect of any given technology or scientific aspects.
- Disagrees that the idea that both science and technology are considered separate from the social (external factors)`
What is the external approach?
Modern historians will completely ignore the engineering and scientific factors by studying the social context of everything in the past. This is when it does not consider inborn geniuses/ inventors.
What does Dr. Lech disagree/agree in terms of external approach?
- Disagrees with the social constructivism as it doesn’t explain everything in full detail
- Agree that having internal and external approaches is better to examine the events in society
What is the first theory about origins of modern society/technology?
“The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” by Thomas Kuhn is an internal approach to history.
Explain the methods of internal approach?
In his belief as a structuralist, finding the mathematical formulas to explain the science is an example of an internal approach. Therefore, this demonstrates his studies of finding the answers to scientific inventions or how scientific theories are form.
Why does Thomas Kuhn Claim that there is no scientific revolution?
Their is a series of revolutions which are called, “paradigm”. The process goes like this:
- Establish science
- Evolve establish science into normal science
- A novelty/anomaly will criticize the flaws in the establish science
- Introduces a crisis in the normal establish science
- The new emergence of a new paradigm becomes the current establish science
- That new establish science would become the new normal science
What comments did Dr. Lech talk about in regards to Thomas Kuhn’s work?
He believed it was only applicable to earlier part of history
but was too rigid for the entire history of science and technology.
Examples such as: Newtonian system and Einsteinian system
What is the second theory about the origins of modern science/technology?
“Purintanism and the Rise of Modern Science” by Robert Merton, which is an external approach
What methods of external approach did Robert Merton use?
He used religion as an external factor and argues about the positive/negative aspects in the history of technology and science.
What religion did Robert Merton used to support his arguments?
He used Protestants (Christians) and Roman Catholics
