General Studies 297 C: Winter 2013 SCIENTIFIC REVOLUTIONS Shifts in the

Instructor: Ben Aaronson Email: [email protected] Tuesdays: 3:30-4:20 Savery 169 Course website: http://staff.washington.edu/ba1/GEN_297_C_Scientific_Revolutions.html Course Dropbox: https://catalyst.uw.edu/collectit/dropbox/ba1/25169

This seminar will explore revolutions in the fields of astronomy, physics, , genetics, and , through the original writings and worlds of thinkers such as Aristotle, Copernicus, Galileo, Newton, Lyell, Darwin, Mendel, Pavlov, Freud, and Einstein. It will examine paradigm shifts in fundamental areas of , focusing on the of scientific revolutions as described by . Students will be introduced to the concept of a scientific paradigm, as well as how can limit scientific thinking, and how questions, outliers, and divergent theories contribute to scientific revolutions. As the relationship between theory and facts is foundational to any area of , the course is designed for science majors and non-science majors alike.

Schedule Draft Week 1 (Jan 8): Introduction Week 8 (Feb 26): Genetics - - Mendel Week 2 (Jan 15): The Paradigm Shift Week 9 (Mar 5): Psychology -Kuhn - Pavlov, Freud Week 3 (Jan 22): Week 10 (Mar 12) Physics -Copernicus - Einstein Week 4 (Jan 29): Motion -Galileo Honorable Mentions Week 5 (Feb 5): Motion Continued Germ Theory -Newton -Pasteur Week 6 (Feb 12): Deep Time Electricity - Lyell -Faraday Week 7 (Feb 19): Evolution Elements - Darwin

Grading Pass/Fail. Passing will be based on not failing the course. Passing is considered a score of 75% or above in all of the following areas: attendance, participation, weekly essays, presentation, and final proposal.

Coursework Readings will be assigned each week. Students will submit an essay (250 words or less) addressing a specific feature of the readings via dropbox the Monday before each class. During weeks 3 through 9, individual students will make a presentation on the topic of the week, summarizing key points and questions.

Student learning goals -Understand the concept of a scientific paradigm -Understand how paradigms can limit scientific thinking -Understand how questions, outliers, and divergent theories interact with existing paradigms -Examine general and specific factors that contribute to trends and shifts in scientific thinking -Learn to go beyond secondary and tertiary sources by examining the primary writings of key scientific thinkers

Bibliography Aristotle, Hardie, R. P., & Gaye, R. K. (1990). Physics. Retrieved from classics.mit.edu. Baigrie, B. S. (2004). Scientific revolutions: Primary texts in the of science. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Pearson Prentice Hall. Copernicus, N., & Duncan, A. M. (1976). On the revolutions of the heavenly spheres. Newton Abbot [Eng.: David & Charles. Darwin, C. (1896). The origin of species by means of , or, The preservation of favored races in the struggle for . New York: D. Appleton. Einstein, A., & Infeld, L. (1961). The evolution of physics: The growth of ideas from early to relativity and quanta. New York: Simon and Schuster. Faraday, M. (1839). Experimental in electricity. London: R. and J.E. Taylor. Ferris, T. (1988). Coming of age in the Milky Way. New York: Morrow. Freud, S., & Strachey, J. (1977). Introductory lectures on psychoanalysis. New York: Norton. Galilei, G., Crew, H., Salvio, A. ., & Northwestern University (Evanston, Ill.). (1914). Dialogues concerning two new . New York: Macmillan. Kuhn, T. S. (1996). The structure of scientific revolutions. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Kuhn, T. S. (1957). The Copernican revolution: Planetary astronomy in the development of Western thought. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. Kuhn, T. S. (1977). The essential tension: Selected studies in scientific tradition and change. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Lyell, C. (1872). Principles of geology, or, The modern changes of the earth and its inhabitants considered as illustrative of geology. New York: D. Appleton and Co. Newton, I. (1729). The mathematical principles of natural . By Sir Isaac Newton. Translated into English by Andrew Motte. London: Printed for Benjamin Motte, at the Middle-Temple-Gate, in Fleetstreet. Pavlov, I. P., In Gantt, W. H., & Folʹbort, G. V. (1928). Lectures on conditioned reflexes. New York: International Publishers. Pavlov, I. P. (1960). Conditioned reflexes: An investigation of the physiological activity of the cerebral cortex. New York: Dover Publications. Poincaré, H., & Halsted, G. B. (1913). The foundations of science: Science and hypothesis, The value of science, Science and method. New York: The Science Press. Russell, B. (1931). The scientific outlook. New York: W.W. Norton & Co.