Some Central Themes of the Course

1. Some Central Themes of the Course

2. Order and Chaos • Nature acts in an orderly way …most of the time. • Examples of the disorderly / unexpected event… • How do humans cope with the unexpected event? • What kind of structures are employed?

3. Science and Religion • How are they different? • How are they the same? • Why did humans (esp in the West) turn away from Religion and rely (at least nominally on Science to explain our place in the cosmos?

4. Critical Moments: The major contributions of • Greek philosophers / scientists • The medieval church and churchmen • Copernicus, Galileo • Descartes, Newton • The entrepreneurs and industrialists of the 19th and 20th Centuries • Darwin, Spencer • Relativity, indeterminacy (uncertainty)

5. The quantum revolution • Schrödinger—1920s • Bohr and Heisenberg

6. Memorable statements…

7. From a sacred text… • I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities, and lack of bread in all your places, [famine] yet you did not return to me, says the LORD. Amos • The earth is established immovably… Psalms,93.1

8. On scientific cosmology… • By the assumption of what uniform and ordered motions can the apparent (i.e., "erratic") motions of the planets be accounted for. Plato • Finally Jupiter has four roving stars, which vary their places in a remarkable way both among themselves and with respect to Jupiter--as Galileo Galilei carefully and accurately describes. Since things are thus, astronomers ought to consider how the celestial orbs may be arranged in order to save these phenomena. Clavius

9. On method… • All things being equal, the simplest solution tends to be the best one. William of Ockham = Ochkam’s razor • We are to admit no more causes of natural things such as are both true and sufficient to explain their appearances. Newton • By method I mean certain and simple rules such that if a man observe them accurately he shall never assume what is false is true. Descartes

10. Science, Religion and Enlightenment Values. • Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over…all the earth…and so God created man in his own image; in the image of God he created him. Gen 1.24. • We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men were created equal and are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights, among them life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Jefferson.

11. On the domination of the west… • Gentlemen, we must speak more loudly and more honestly! We must say openly that indeed the higher races have a right over the lower races .... I repeat, that the superior races have a right because they have a duty. They have the duty to civilize the inferior races .... Julien Ferry

12. The business of the corporate state is eugenics – Adoph Hitler • It’s a scientific fact! James Burke • In order to obtain a certain result, you must want to obtain precisely that result; if you want to obtain a certain result, you will obtain it .... I need only such people as will obtain the results I need. Lysenko