Physics seminar Nov. 4 on “Thinking Outside the Box”

Physics seminar Nov. 4 on “Thinking Outside the Box”

Friday, Nov. 4 • 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. • Hagen Hall 325

A physics seminar on “Thinking Outside the Box: What can we learn from the history of science?” will be held Friday, November 4, from 2:30 to 3:20 p.m. in Hagen Hall 325. The speaker is Claudia Murphy from MSUM.

Murphy will contrast two different approaches to using and understanding the history of science. The first approach suggests that science develops by accumulation. New theories explain and predict with more accuracy all that has come before. The second approach, most famously argued by Thomas Kuhn, suggests that theory change in science is revolutionary.  Dr. Murphy hopes to illustrate these ideas and talk about the implications for students of physics.