[HN Gopher] Anaximander and the Nature of Science
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       Anaximander and the Nature of Science
        
       Author : diodorus
       Score  : 35 points
       Date   : 2023-02-20 20:06 UTC (1 days ago)
        
 (HTM) web link (www.theguardian.com)
 (TXT) w3m dump (www.theguardian.com)
        
       | fidrelity wrote:
       | Helgoland by Rovelli is probably my all-time favourite book. I
       | have recently finished 'The beginning of infinity' by David
       | Deutsch (another bestseller), another quantum physicist and was
       | deeply disappointed.
       | 
       | While Rovelli seems curious to me Deutsch seems certain about his
       | conclusions. Did anyone have the same experience with those two
       | authors that are seemingly talking about the same topics and are
       | to some degree saying the same thing?
        
         | dotsam wrote:
         | Deutsch is not certain that his conclusions are true. But he
         | does know that he has reached them in the best way: by making
         | explanations that are hard to vary, that solve problems and
         | that have withstood severe criticism. If any of his conjectured
         | explanations were refuted, he would change his conclusions. If
         | he didn't he would be authoritarian, which he would abhor.
         | 
         | His books are dense and benefit from multiple readings. I came
         | back to them recently after reading Karl Popper's works, which
         | helped me understand his position better.
        
       | antognini wrote:
       | Shameless plug, but if you're interested in learning a bit more
       | about Anaximander (along with the other philosophers of the
       | Ionian School), I did a episode about him in my astronomy history
       | podcast a little while back:
       | 
       | https://songofurania.com/episode/010
       | 
       | (And if you don't like listening to podcasts, there's a
       | transcript, too.)
        
       | kwhitefoot wrote:
       | Also on the BBC at https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001jc11
       | 
       | "Ancient knowledge Start the Week
       | 
       | Carlo Rovelli, Ann Yee and Kapka Kassabova discuss ancient
       | knowledge, radical thinking and watery worlds with Adam
       | Rutherford."
        
       | nyc111 wrote:
       | "The Miletus of 2,600 years ago was a time and place in which the
       | ability to read and write moved beyond a limited circle of elite
       | scribes."
       | 
       | Interesting. Any time access to knowledge becomes cheaper a
       | revolution occurs. Or anytime a monopoly on knowledge disappears.
       | I guess the next revolution occurred with the printing press. And
       | the last, with the internet. Did I miss any other?
        
         | devindotcom wrote:
         | The telegraph was an enormous change, especially laying the
         | trans-Atlantic line.
        
         | moh_maya wrote:
         | Radio and television, I think. They were a medium for non-
         | literates to also participate in learning and exploration, in a
         | way they couldn't if the only way to do so was through reading.
        
         | anonymouskimmer wrote:
         | The students of early universities (Bologna, etcetera) were
         | often troublemakers.
        
           | mdp2021 wrote:
           | Could you please elaborate? What I gather is that Bologna
           | started as a "club" of students, hence "university" (Bologna
           | started the term) should be interpreted as "a collective"...
           | The union suggests a creation of some power (not just an
           | organization), but I do not know what <<trouble[some]>>
           | objectives should such guild pursue.
        
       | roughly wrote:
       | Carlo Rovelli's books are absolutely fantastic - he's deeply
       | passionate and writes with an artistry that very few other
       | science writers do. "The Order of Time" is my favorite, but I've
       | not been disappointed by anything of his I've read.
        
       | college_physics wrote:
       | "Each time that we - as a nation, a group, a continent or a
       | religion - look inward in celebration of our specific identity we
       | do nothing but lionize our own limits and sing of our stupidity"
       | 
       | Good things tend to happen at the interface. Monocultures (large
       | numbers of brains synchronized in identical thought patterns)
       | stifle these orthogonal, non-conforming dimensions that help
       | expand our perceptive abilities.
       | 
       | At the same time identity that looks outwards and engages with
       | others in confidence is like a wellspring that doesn't stop
       | giving. I like to think that Carlo Rovelli carries the torch of
       | such open and inquisitive Italian minds, from Antiquity through
       | Renaissance and Enlightenment.
        
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