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SUMMARY:Who Cares about the History of Science? - Professor Hasok Chang
DTSTART:20211026T170000Z
DTEND:20211026T183000Z
UID:TALK164032@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:92260
DESCRIPTION:While scientists celebrate certain parts of past science\, the
 y disregard other parts as misguided and not worth remembering. The histor
 y of science presented in science textbooks tends to be a picture of past 
 heroes who anticipated modern knowledge\, such as Galileo\, Newton\, Darwi
 n and Einstein. But there is also a very different role for history\, whic
 h is to help us appreciate valuable parts of past science that current sci
 entists do not remember and celebrate. By paying attention to the ‘loser
 s' in the history of science we can actually learn much that is scientific
 ally valuable. Through historical work we can recover forgotten ideas and 
 phenomena\, and a further examination of such recovered items can even lea
 d to new scientific knowledge. Looking at history with full respect for th
 e past scientists\, we can recognize that the scientific common sense of t
 oday was once the subject of controversy and exciting cutting-edge researc
 h. Going back to early periods of science with this kind of historical per
 spective can awaken a sense of fascination in the familiar aspects of natu
 re\, and help us instill a love of science in students and the general pub
 lic. I will substantiate these claims with illustrations from my work on t
 he history of temperature and thermometry (Inventing Temperature\, 2004)\,
  the basic atomic composition of matter (Is Water H2O?\, 2012)\, and early
  electrical instruments and theories (How Does a Battery Work?\, forthcomi
 ng).
LOCATION:Wolfson Lecture Theatre\,  Department of Chemistry\, Lensfield Ro
 ad
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