II Wednesday 2nd July 2008 Albert Einstein Sir Isack Newton Galileo Galilei by Nalin de Silva is also they do not attempt to explain how carry out normal work and they only Relativity are different from those in the thread that runs through all knowledge is constructed in these work to show that the existing theo- either Galilean Physics or Newtonian am not a historian if one were to aspects of the latter. Thus I am not societies. Thus creation of knowledge ries are correct. However according to Physics. The objects as far as an ordi- go by the degrees I have obtained, reducing knowledge to either culture is left unexplained. In other words Kuhn there are revolutionary periods nary observer is concerned do not Ibut by paraphrasing as somebody or Chinthanaya. there is no theory to explain how the- in science during which the existing change. To an ordinary observer the what has been said on war it can be The above statements on knowl- ories are created though it is said that paradigm is replaced by a new para- objects that were dropped from the stated that history is too serious a edge too are relative to a culture and theories are constructed by people liv- digm. The Einsteinian revolution that leaning tower of Pisa in Italy were not subject to be left in the hands of the not absolute. In this case the state- ing in societies. took place more than hundred years different from the apples and other historians. In the recent past Michael ments of this particular epistemology In "Nirmanathmaka ago in 1905 changed the Newtonian objects that fell to the ground in the Roberts a historian produced by the have been created in Sinhala Sapekshathavadaya" the relative paradigm and introduced new axioms seventeenth century England. Neither University by the river, and turned Theravada Buddhist culture, and if knowledge, one speaks of is not the and assumptions with respect to space were they different from the bombs Anthropologist by history and somebody were to question as to relative knowledge of something that and time. that were dropped in Germany as well Shainie who is comfortable in his/her whether the knowledge of a relativis- absolutely exists. In the normal rela- In the Kuhnian scheme theories in as by Germany in the first half of the anonymity have commented on histo- tic epistemology is absolute we would tivity theories, including those of the (western) science are created in a twentieth century.What is said to be ry and referred to me as I also write not reply in the affirmative, and all postmodernists, one has to deal with given paradigm and one may say that different is the way the western on history.Roberts has referred to me that we would say is that this particu- the way certain phenomena appear theories are relative to a paradigm. Physicists look at these various drop- as a Mathematician but at the outset I lar epistemology which we call con- with respect to different observers. It With paradigm shifts not only theo- pings. must say that I am not such a creature structionist relativism is assumed that certain things exist ries but meanings associated with In Galilean Physics the objects fell as my contribution to Mathematics is (Nirmanathmaka "absolutely" and they appear different- concepts change. (In Sri Lanka in the near the earth with the same constant zero, though I sell some Applied Sapekshathavadaya) is at least inter- ly to different observers. Even in the seminar circuit the term paradigm acceleration and there was no gravita- Mathematics and Mathematical nally consistent to a very high degree, so called theory of relativity in shift is used in a very mundane way tional force or gravitational field that Physics, the others have created, for a unlike many other epistemologies. Physics, there exists an absolute and sometimes even a change of made these objects to fall in Italy in living. For example an epistemology that space-time which is observed by dif- drinking habits from coca cola to the early seventeenth century.The History like any other corpus of assumes an objective reality inde- ferent observers in a manner relative pepsi cola is called a paradigm shift.) objects fell with the same constant knowledge is relative and is relative to pendent of the man has an uphill task to them. The so-called space-time For example the space and time of a acceleration and those dropped from the period of writing as well as the in attempting to show objectively that interval of two events remains the Newtonian observer is not the same equal heights simultaneously reached period of reading, not to mention the an objective reality exists. One would same for different observers whether as the space-time of an Einsteinian the ground simultaneously.In in the special theory or in the general observer. Though the same words Newtonian Physics it was different. theory of relativity."Nirmanathmaka space and time are used the hyphen in The apples in England in the late sev- Sapekshathavadaya" differs from all the Einsteinian paradigm gives them enteenth century did not fall with a the other relativistic epistemologies a different meaning altogether. In the constant acceleration though different and theories, as there it is the observ- paradigm of Quantum Physics a “par- apples had the same acceleration at er who constructs knowledge as if out ticle” does not mean the same thing as equal heights from the ground. For of nothing (sunya), due to the "avidya" a particle in Newtonian Physics. This any one apple the acceleration varied of the observer. Even the observer change of meaning does not have to with the height and moreover the On history who is "absolute" in the western theo- wait for a paradigm shift to take place. apples now had a gravitational force, ries, is relative to himself/herself in Even within a paradigm meanings that later became a gravitational field "Nirmanathmaka change as most of us are familiar under the influence of another writer and the reader. History of peri- say that it is an ontological problem Sapekshathavadaya". As there is no with. The meanings of the words Cambridge Theoretical Physicist Dr. od A, written in period B, and read in and not something that belongs to "soul" in Sinhala Theravada change with time (this is a tautology Maxwell, to respond to. In period C will “reveal” the conditions epistemology.However the way one Buddhism, in "Nirmanathmaka as there is no time without change) Feyerabendian scheme these two in periods B and C, as well as the "acquires" a knowledge of the exis- Sapekshathavadaya" it has been and one does not have to be a post- views are incommensurable. To fur- characters of the writer relative to the tence of an objective reality is in the shown how the mind creates itself modernist to observe this phenome- ther complicate matters the bombs in reader. There is no objective history realm of epistemology.It has to be without referring to any "other enti- non. Also words have specific mean- Germany in the twentieth century did as such, which could be found only in emphasised that though western phi- ty". ings only in a given context and the not have a gravitational field in which the minds of the “objective histori- losophy has an epistemology separat- It was Prof. Thomas Kuhn who same word could be used to denote dif- they could fall. Einsteinian Physics ans”. Before I write on history let me ed from an ontology, it is not possible introduced the concept of paradigm ferent things in different contexts. had exorcised the gravitational field. say something on Philosophy and to do so even relative to western phi- with respect to creating knowledge. Here again there was no need for the The bombs themselves, together with here again I must emphasise that I am losophy. He showed that in Physics, what is world to wait for a Saussure to recog- the other objects created the space- neither a Philosopher, though I delve It has to be mentioned, at the out- referred to as Newtonian Physics is nise this simple phenomenon. time, made it curved, and moved in into Philosophy. set, that the above epistemology based on a set of certain axioms, However something more difficult the curved space-time. In Newtonian I believe in the philosophy of rela- though may sound similar to theories assumptions etc., which he called a to recognise was pointed by Prof. England apples responded to the tivity not only in western or any other on social construction of knowledge paradigm. He opposed the views of Feyerabend who elaborated the con- space and time, but the space and Physics but with respect to knowledge in what is known as Sociology of Prof. Karl Popper who had said that in cept of incommensurability.What he time did not reciprocate to respond to in general. To me knowledge, whether Knowledge, is much wider in its base. (western) science, the scientists said essentially was that the objects the apples. However, in Einsteinian in Physics or History, is created by In theories on what are called social advance knowledge by trying to falsi- that fell to the ground in Galilean Germany things were different. Not people relative to their sense organs, construction of knowledge it is readi- fy the existing theories. Kuhnian view Physics were not the same as those only the bombs responded to the culture and mind. This takes place in ly accepted that knowledge is created was that in (western) science there that fell under Newtonian gravitation space-time but the space-time very a Chinthanaya which itself is part of or constructed in a given society.The are what are known as normal peri- attraction.