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If you are a member of the SMN, you can become a contributor to the blog. To be added to the list of official blog contributors, contact Dr Olly Robinson on: olly@scimednet.org
Currently the blog contains 113 entries.
Paul Davies - Where do the laws of physics come from?
Paul Davies is a truly independent thinking scientist and philosopher. He defies all conventional categories, but seems to follow clear thinking wherever it leads. This talk deals with some fundamental questions that open up a chasm of assumptoins that generally lie invisible beneath the edifice of science. Where do the laws of physics come from? Why are 'mechanism' and 'machine' as metaphors for the universe considered to be appropriate? Why is there mathematical order underlying the universe? Why does the universe seem to be so amenable to rational enquiry? Why is there not just a jumble of unrelated phenomena? Can we deal with ultimate questions of meaning without recourse to faith? Do we all have faith of some variety? What is an 'ultimate explanation' of the universe?
Davies manages to deal with deep and complex issues without using technical jargon that precludes non-specialists from listening and understanding his message. This is a great talent, and is another reason that I hugely respect him.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Quantum Gravity and the role of the observer
In March 1997 an obscure, small galaxy named Makarian 501 (named after Georgian astronomer Benjamin Markarian) showed itself to be a "Blazer". Blazers are galaxies that are thought to have a black hole at the centre. Above and below the assumed black hole are two jets of energetic photons and electrons. These particles shoot millions of light years into space. As the galaxy revolves the jets points in the direction of Earth and what is observed is an increase in brightness of radiation. In 1997 this showed itself to scientists as a gamma ray ray source of some consequence, even upstaging the famed Crab Nebula. This intrigued scientists because Makarian 501 is 50,000 times the distance of the Crab Nebula.
The First Principles: A Scientist's Guide to the Spiritual by Dr. John Joseph Petrovic
The First Principles: A Scientist's Guide to the Spiritual offers a rare and invaluable perspective on the philosophy of science, spirituality, and the ever increasing, blurred boundary between the two. The author grapples with big ideas and weighty concepts, but brings them down to earth in the form of three basic axioms, elegant in their simplicity, and profound in their implications. The book does not take a purely intellectual approach to science and spirituality, far from it. Rather, scientist-author Petrovic expands his well formed and scrupulously shaped arguments into a personal and actionable philosophy, that if applied to daily life, can deepen one's relationship with the "Wholeness" that so many call God.
Funerary monument reveals Iron Age belief that the soul lived in the stone
Discovery in Turkey comes from major Iron Age site
(press release)
Archaeologists in southeastern Turkey have discovered an Iron Age chiseled stone slab that provides the first written evidence in the region that people believed the soul was separate from the body.
Self-Transcendence by Aldous Huxley
Here is the full text of an essay by Aldous Huxley discussing the concept of self-transcendence. It is a fascinating and groundbreaking piece of writing, yet there has been little said since about this topic... unfortunately 'transcendence' is a dirty word in academia nowadays.
Rationality, Curiosity, Intelligence & Transcendental Beliefs
Scientific literature tends to belittle or ridicule transcendental beliefs as evidence of ignorance or delusion. However, a recent paper published in the peer reviewed Journal of Consciousness Studies calls this assumption in question.
News release from the Faculty of Homeopathy
New evidence in favour of homeopathy
Two newly published studies (1,2) show that the conclusions of a review published in The Lancet about the effectiveness of homeopathy (3) were seriously flawed.
Candles under the Bushel
Isn’t it amazing that human intelligence can send spacecrafts to remote planets but find no solution for more down to earth problems such as poverty? I am frankly puzzled by our philosophy of science. Why is science unable to address some of the most urgent problems of our time? Biosphere, evolved into its present form over millions of years, is crumbling under the weight of few decades of human greed. Isn’t greed, and every other questionable human activity, worthy of scientific attention?
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