Division of labour October 29, 2006
Posted by reivers in Academia, Debate.add a comment
About a month ago an article in Slate hyped a paper by the sociologist Harry Collins. The paper described an experiment where Collins “passed himself off” as an expert physicist – and the people that he convinced were other experts, all in the field. The field is gravitational waves, which is pretty much my field, and he didn’t just manage to convince the experts – in a direct competition with another gravitational wave physicist he convinced the vast majority that he was the expert and the true physicist was the sociologist!
Slate seemed to think that it was almost a rerun of the Sokal “experiment” during the Science Wars, although many later commentators disagreed. Perhaps the most useful comment was from Collins himself, in this thread from OpenScience. In particular Collins makes the point that he is more interested in whether mathematics is a crucial tool for all physicists (rather than for physics as a whole), and has now released a paper claiming that it is not. This, he says, has particular impact on how physics should be taught – a claim far more interesting in itself.
Independent learning or I am not here to tell you the answers October 24, 2006
Posted by gesta in Academia, Debate.6 comments
We are now into week three of what is turning out to be not the world’s greatest term/semester. I am tired and stressed already and I am tearing my hair out at my students’ neediness. Clearly there is a failure of communication somewhere. (more…)
History diary day! October 13, 2006
Posted by gesta in Academia, Books, Debate.2 comments
On 17th October (next Tuesday) the History Matters Campaign is urging everyone to write a diary entry reflecting on how history has affected them. Here is the link: one day in history. I will certainly be participating and urge others to do so.
Veiled faces and boundaries October 6, 2006
Posted by gesta in Boundaries, Politics, faith.add a comment
It will not have escaped the notice of many people in the UK that a might furore is going on about some comments Jack Straw has made about Muslim women who veil their faces. He has spoken out to say he feels uncomfortable holding a discussion with a woman who covers her face and would prefer it if they didn’t. As a result, he’s been accused of Islamaphobia, praised by others who think likewise and found himself allied with some very strange people indeed (possibly given credence to racist ideologies). (more…)
Fresh-faced and brand new October 4, 2006
Posted by gesta in Academia.add a comment
As we head into autumn, a new crop of faces has sprung up around the university. It is freshers’ week, the time when we welcome new students to hallowed halls of learning, while advertising societies that show university is about more than just a degree. Or from their point of view, a week of drunken shenanigans. (more…)
