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For the Week of 12/3/08 |
Assignment 13
Those
who have given presentations need to get me a one page thing I can post on the
web. Just extract one juicy tid bitÉ If you have a picture that is
interestingÉ just throw it in a .doc and point out some details and how those
details relate to your topic. Nothing too complicated and definitely
donÕt give me anything boring. I want these asap.
Darwin
or
Modern Theories
-----------Everybody finish
the Bown book
[A Most Damnable InventionÉ] over break-----------
The chapter on Haber
is really fascinating.
EverybodyÉ.
Read and/or listen to EisenhowerÕs farewell
address to the nation: Eisehnower-Farwell-audio
& text. [You could also
choose to download an MP3 here.] There are video clips of this speech
available on the web, but most have been edited and the unedited ones I ran
into are of horrible quality. It is interesting to note that this was a TV
broadcast. This is perhaps the most famous presidential farewell address ever.
The documentary, ÒWhy We Fight,Ó is based on this speech. ItÕs a pretty good movie for anyone
interested in the nexus between industry, technology, politics, and war.
From approximately this
point onward, you had to get good makeup to make a good speech. See this short news story on the
Nixon-Kennedy debate, in which Tricky Dick, becomes Sticky Dick: Kennedy-Nixon-SweatFest.
Nixon- Wiping sweat from his upper lip.
Optional:
This is a rather interesting radio segment on denial.
This is interesting in relation to why people deny Darwinian-style evolution, or deny global warming, or deny the holocaust, or deny Òhaving sexual relations with that woman [Ms. Lewinsky].Ó
Coincidentally,
a story on Copernicus was aired on the same program:
[Both
links are to ÒThe World,Ó a BBC, PRI, and WGGH production.]
Because I
didnÕt quite get to everything I wanted, this time you have a choice between
two assignments: either a Darwin oriented assignment or History of Modern
Physics assignment. ItÕs your
call.
Assignment Option A – Darwiniana
On
the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published 145 years ago
this week. It was published Nov. 24, 1859.
There are lots of short little
readings here. I suggest you take
notes as you go, so that you can keep track of who is saying what. This will
make your essay that much easier to put together. [Most of you will be writing this essay, since most of you
owe me some homework.]
Read Chatper 16, ÒLife ItselfÓ in
McClellan and Dorn (Chapter 15 in older editions).
Read OwenÕs short article on a global
evolution survey: Owen_EvolutionSUS.htm.
Read this really short article by
Belluz: Belluz-Human_Evolution_Is_Over.htm.
Think about the Leigh reading from last week on Malthus as you read it. What do
you think about this argument?
What is meant by ÒLeading GeneticistÓ? Feel free to write a letter to the editor [me] on this
article and your larger understanding of the issues it engages.
Read either É
Éthis opinion piece by Jared
Diamond, the author of Guns, Germs, and Steel: Diamond_Worst_Human_Mistake-84KB.pdf,
ÉorÉ
Éthese two reviews of ClarkÕs Farewell to Alms,
a Malthusian exploration of human economic history: Wade-Cohen_rev_Clark-Industrial-Rev-Theory-509KB.pdf,
Usually in a class such as this
we would read some Darwin and talk Galapagoan finches. I am hoping that you all have studied
Darwinian theory enough to have the basics down and the textbook covers that to
some extent. [Remember: variation,
environmental selection, and tons and tons of time.] Instead I want to look at two slightly different
things. The first is the more
unpleasant side of Darwin in his relation to non-whites, and then a brief look
at Wallace, the other guy who came up with Darwinian theory, but didnÕt get
nearly as much credit (nobody calls it Wallacian Theory).
Read this short essay on Darwin and
the question of how to ethically or morally judge people from the past: Newsome_Darwin_Descent_Racism-DRAFT-96KB.pdf.
(You
need not read all the misc. after the bibliography.) Do you agree or disagree with this clown?
Look over and read a couple
of pages from this chapter from DarwinÕs Descent of Man (Part II, Ch. 21). The quotation
from my paper is from this, at the very end. Feel free to read other parts as
well. (I have posted .pdf from
the1871 ed.): Darwin_Descent_Ch21a-4.6MB.pdf
Read this short piece by Wallace,
the forgotten Darwinist: Wallace_HowToCivilizeSavages.htm. Notice how it compares to the passages
from Darwin.
Read: Judson, on Wallace: Judson-Wallace_Should_Hang.htm.
You donÕt have to read all the comments that follow the actual article.
Write: There is a lot of good compare
and contrast material here. Write
something that incorporates several of these readings.
Assignment
Option B – Modern
Physics
Baby Albert, born 1879 (died 1955) The
July 1, 1946 issue of TIME.
1905 was EinsteinÕs huge
breakthrough year: 4 [5 if you include his dissertation] very important papers
were publishedÉ
1) ÒOn a Heuristic Point of View
concerning the Production and Transformation of Light.Ó [Photoelectric effect -
What does it mean that something is red hot?]
2) ÒOn the Movement of Small Particles
Suspended in Stationary Liquids Required by the Molecular-Kinetic Theory of
Heat.Ó [On Brownian Motion - What makes all all those tiny particles dance?]
3) ÒOn the Electrodynamics of
Moving Bodies.Ó [Special Relativity- nonaccelerated time frames - The effects
of speed on measurement.]
4) ÒDoes the Inertia of a Body
Depend upon Its Energy Content?Ó [Mass-Energy equivalence: E=mc2] [Not always included as one of his 1905
barnburners.]
If you want to read any of these
papers translated into English, click here.
Keep in mind, that even though
paper #1 and paper #4 have something to do with quantum concepts, Einstein had
almost nothing to do with the atomic bomb, no matter what TIME magazine wants
you to believe. There is much made of his letters encouraging and later
discouraging the atomic program, but closer scrutiny suggests that his views
did not really affect policy very much if at all. Einstein didnÕt even have security clearance in the
Manhattan Project, the project he is said to have fathered. He was seen as too much of a lefty
pacifist to get clearance. Being
German probably didnÕt help much either.
Similarly, be suspicious of anyone claiming to understand where Einstein
stood on God or god. He is all
over the map. Anyway, why do we care what he thinks on religious topics? Do we ask the pope to explain SchrodingerÕs
equation? And yetÉ it is interesting. Nullius in verba my ass.
Read chapter 18, ÒThe New
Aristotelians,Ó in McClellan and Dorn. (Chapter 17 in older editions.)
Read Gamow: pp. 1-5 and
then choose from chapters 1, 2, or 3.
Those of you who do not have much quantum mechanics under your belt, IÕd
go with chapter 1. But if chapter
1 seems too easy and familiar, go to chapter 2 and if that is familiar, go to
chapter 3. Feel free to read all
three if you want. DonÕt read
chapter 3 if you really donÕt understand chapters 1 and 2, it wonÕt make much sense.
Gamow_30YearsShookPhys_excerpt-6.5MB.pdf
Read these two accounts
of how EinsteinÕs general theory of relativity was used to explian the problem
with the orbit of Mercury and other stuff:
Anon-Mystery_of_Mercury_Orbit-1929-648KB.pdf
and
Dyson-Verification_Relativity-1925-156KB.pdf
Optional: This is a
fascinating essay on how philosophy played a role in BohrÕs physics and vice
versa:
Holton;
99-139: Holton_Thematic-Complementarity_Bohr-7.6MB.pdf.
Write: As you read over this material, think of the consequences of
this new science and technology.
Are scientists ethically responsible for the consequences of their theories? Think about Nobel, Haber, [Hahn if you
know of him], Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, Teller, and Openheimer in terms of
the relationships between science, technology, and war. Add in the anti-Semiticism of the Nazis
and some of these relationships are really quite twisted.
Back to Syllabus [HoST Fall 2008]
Me – hostf08@mifami.org
Newsie Stuff
Wade-Regenerating
a Mammoth for $10 Million
Scientists are once again in the
news for toying around with the idea of regenerating perhistoric animals. The ones in this artlcle seem to have a
sense of perspective.
Here are the citations for the
above works:
Anonymous. "Classics of
Science: Mystery of Mercury's Orbit." The Science News-Letter 15, no. 420 (1929):
267-268.
Belluz, Julia. "Leading Geneticist Steve Jones Says Human Evolution Is Over." The Times Online - UK Edition, October, 7, 2008 2008. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article4894696.ece?&EMC-Bltn=PPUEN9
Darwin, Charles. The Descent of
Man, and Selection in Relation to Sex. 2 vols. vols. London,: J. Murray,
1871.
Diamond,
Jared. "The Worst Mistake in the History of the Human Race." Discover, May
1987 1987, pp. 64-66.
Dyson,
Frank. "Verification of the Theory of Relativity." The Scientific
Monthly 20, no. 3 (1925): 288-291.
McClellan, James E., and Harold
Dorn. Science
and Technology in World History : An Introduction. Baltimore, Md.: The
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.
Newsome, Daniel. "DarwinÕs
Descent of Man and Anachronistic Values." Draft Essay, 2003.
Eisenhower: see the site and
make up a citation.
Gamow, George. Thirty Years That
Shook Physics : The Story of Quantum Theory. New York: Dover Publications,
1985.
Holton, Gerald James. Thematic Origins
of Scientific Thought; Kepler to Einstein. revised ed. Cambridge, Mass.,:
Harvard University Press, 1973.
Judson, Olivia. "Wallace
Should Hang." New York Times, January 8, 2008.
McClellan, James E., and Harold
Dorn. Science
and Technology in World History : An Introduction. Baltimore, Md.: The
Johns Hopkins University Press, 1999.
Wade, Nicholas. "Dusty
Archives, a Theory of Affluence." New York Times, August, 7, 2007.
Wallace, Alfred Russel.
"How to Civilize Savages." Reader, June 1865 1865, 107-114.
Here is what appears to be an
incredible site for Darwin with most of his publications and manuscripts all
available for free: The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
Questions
to consider: How does the random mutation of DNA differ from the swerve of
Lucretius?
Here is a short article on a
fossil find in Germany written up by the Royal Society: link to article. I wonder what gap in the fossil record
this fills?
Interesting power generation
tech. under development.
This may be of some interest to
Susan, as it is sort of playing on the dense fluid version of an airfoil.
An interesting image of fish
surfing on vortices is described.
Ocean-currents-can-power-the-world-say-scientists.html
Here is a short documentary on
this research: video
from U. of M.
[Print story
from U. of M.]
Here is a link to the company
working on thisÉ with a few videos showing how it works: vortexhydroenergy.com
My question is how this lateral
motion will be converted into electricity?
Review materialsÉ
I have no useful
review materials for this page. I
looked over my notes and some of my notes on the readings are actually longer
than the readings themselves. I
didnÕt think you would appreciate looking at these. YouÕll do better to just know these materials from your own
perspective as much of this is more about ethics and philosophy than the
science or tech itself. This
material will definitely inspire several essay questions, so be prepared to
write something. I suggest you think about how to argue not only your own personal
perspective on some of these issues, but also how to argue another side that
you might not agree with.
Posted: 12/6/08 9:22
AM