Theory of Knowledge - Course Companion for Students Marija Uzunova Dang Arvin Singh Uzunov Dang

II. Perspectives
19th century reveals the extent to which
the
ideal was held. Some scientists were
this
by the explanatory power of atomic
persuaded
But no one had detected atoms, no
theory.
at the time could detect them,
equipment
they solved no new puzzle. Hundreds of
and
smaller than light waves, atoms were
times
by even the most powerful
unobservable
Mach was a brilliant and influential
Ernst
and philosopher, whose critique
physicist
Newton’s physics may have later helped
of
postulate general relativity. However,
Einstein
went so far as to say “I don’t believe that
he
exist”, and that good science should not
atoms
examples above serve to explain how
The
on falsification and “good
perspectives
have changed over time. Falsification
science”
be too strict to use as an everyday rule.
may
scientists test Einstein’s theory using
When
and photographic plates, they are
telescopes
testing the focal theory, plus
simultaneously
theory of optics that goes into designing
the
2014, 178 of the world’s greatest minds—
In
thinkers, public intellectuals—
scientists,
the question: “What scientific idea
considered
ready for retirement?”
is
terms: Edge What
Search
idea is ready for
scientific
you read a few of their responses, you see
If
and complementing perspectives.
contradicting
idea was so influential that it caused
This
Kaufmann, a German physicist, to
Walter
what could have been the discovery of
ignore
in 1897: the particles he suspected
electrons
too small to observe, so he stayed
were
Months later J.J. Thomson, an English
silent.
suspected the same thing, called
physicist,
electrons, and went on to receive the
them
turns out that Pauli, the man who posited the
It
(one of the tiniest known subatomic
neutrino
via a desperate and unobservable
particles)
untestable “remedy”, had a famous
and
called Mach, the very same Mach who
uncle
proclaimed, “I don’t believe that
infamously
exist”. And thus we see why Pauli
atoms
his prediction of the existence of
described
mathematical analyses of the data, plus a
the
of other things that we take for granted in
lot
background. If there is a mismatch between
the
and observation, it is not enough to rule
theory
the theory immediately. A failure in one
out
the many related theories and assumptions
of
be to blame instead. Reproducible
might
tested under a variety of conditions
anomalies
may be happy, sad or surprised to see
You
“The Self” or “The Universe”
“Calculus”,
considered for retirement. In pairs, small
being
or as a class discuss the following
groups
What reasons are offered for qualifying a
1.
idea for retirement?
scientific
If the reasons sound compelling to you,
2.
do you think some of the ideas persist?
why
What does it mean for a scientific idea to be
3.
actually happens to it?
retired—what
7
microscopes of the time.
Nobel Prize.
be concerned with finding them.
neutrinos as a “terrible thing”.
the telescopes, plus the assumptions behind
are needed for falsification.
For discussion
Scientific ideas ready for retirement
questions.
retirement?
176