Scientific Theory
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the difficulty of attempting to force different scientific theories into a single, logically coherent system.
Do We Have Free Will?: Theory of Determinism, The
The theory of determinism contends that human behavior, like every other physical phenomenon in the universe is determined by the laws of cause and effect rather than free will. The scientific advances of the 17th century and the work of Sir Isaac N...
How Tides Work
Renowned oceanographer and geophysicist Walter Munk talks about the role of gravity and the Moon in tidal processes. He also discusses early ideas about tides in the days before Sir Isaac Newton developed his theory of gravity.
Theoreticians and Experimenters
Philosopher Ian Hacking talks about the differences in approach and skill sets between those who practice science primarily as theoreticians, and others who are primarily experimenters. Professor Hacking points out that theoreticians get most of the...
The Dynamic Theory of the Tides
Renowned oceanographer and geophysicist Walter Munk talks about the dynamic theory of the tides, noting that Sir Isaac Newton's theory of the tides was incomplete. French scientist Pierre-Simon Laplace explained a century after Newton that tidal for...
Time and Cosmology
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the efforts of Immanuel Kant and others to come to grips with questions about time and whether it's possible to produce an overall theoretical description of the whole process by which the material universe to...
Sir Francis Bacon And The Case For Curiosity
Philosopher Ian Hacking talks about the contributions of Sir Francis Bacon to scientific inquiry. Professor Hacking notes that while Bacon's approach later came to be viewed as a model for how science should be done, during his lifetime, he didn't a...
History of Scientific Ideas, The
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin talks about the ways in which terminology and meaning change over time in the sciences. He gives the example of Leibniz insisting that "...the processes of the physical world should be mechanical." Professor Toulmin conte...
Mathematics and Change
Philosopher Stephen Toulmin explains that contrary to what many believe, mathematics and mathematical assumptions can change "deeply" over time. Professor Toulmin notes that, "...you will find that, beyond a certain point, the link with what we had ...