Quote:
Originally posted by VanderL@Feb 7 2004, 08:07 PM
Quote:
QUOTE
It makes you wonder if you sat down at the table with one of these gentlemen and asked them to put their theory in terms an ordinary person would understand if they could do it?
I'm sure most scientists would not have the patience to try, and most probably could not do it even if they did try
|
Can't say I like this very much, science is doing a bad job if it keeps all it's knowledge and discussions in little "knowledgeable" circles. It has to be communicated, and if people are unable to do this properly, it is just bad science. The fact that science has a specific language (math and jargon) that is not mastered by all, is a weak excuse when it comes to explaining what a theory or discovery is all about. Saying it is difficult is just a cop-out. We should demand clarity from the scientists, otherwise it is really elitist behaviour. I'm actually convinced that most scientists are striving to achieve this communication, if only so they can explain why they need funding from their grant-suppliers.
Cheers.
|
How very sanctimonious of you, VanderL. Tell me just what are your scientific credentials? What makes you so qualified to judge the professionals?
Exlucidating some scientific concepts in terms that laypeople can understand is difficult. I'd like to see you explain the mathematics involved and the reasoning behind the concepts in something as relatively straight forward as the two body problem -
http://orca.phys.uvic.ca/~tatum/celmechs/celm9.pdf - to someone who knows nothing about astronomy and physics and who has never studied algegbra, geometry, and calculus.
Dave Mitsky