The Scientific Odyssey

Wherein we look at mapping as a human activity and begin our exploration of the evidence of the earliest maps known.

In this episode we interview Dr. Todd Timberlake about the book he co-authored with Dr. Paul Wallace: Finding Our Place in the Solar System, A Scientific View of the Copernican Revolution (Available March 28th, 2019 from Cambridge University Press). Dr. Timberlake's teaching materials can be found at: https://sites.berry.edu/ttimberlake/teaching/copernican-revolution/

Wherein we prepare to once again slip our lines in search of new knowledge.  We discuss the effects of modern technologies and what is gained and lost in their use.

In the years between 1840 and 1866, a debate took place between William Whewell and the philosopher and politician John Stuart Mill over the nature of scientific inquiry and moral philosophy at a time of great social change in Britain.

Our 2018 Christmas episode: In 1851, Dr. William Whewell gave the inaugural lecture of a series reflecting on the Great Exhibition of 1851 in London.  This is a reading of that lecture.

An examination of the scientific contributions of William Whewell through the early and middle parts of his career.

A look at the early life of the scholar and natural philosopher William Whewell.

Wherein the Navigator discusses the state of the podcast going forward.

In this episode we consider additional solutions to the Problem of Induction include those which rest on determining the certainty of inductively acquired knowledge.

In this episode we consider several possible solutions to Hume's Problem of Induction including William Whewell's description of scientific inquiry, the hypothetico-deductive methods and Karl Popper's falsifiability criterion.

In our new Science and Certainty mini-series, we take a look at what is known as the Problem of Induction in the junction between epistemology and philosophy of science.  We review what induction is and then look at various historical statements of the problem culminating with the work of Scottish philosopher, David Hume.

Wherein we reach the end of our journey.

In our final episode of the biographical series on Albert Einstein, we look at the last twenty years of his life in the United States.  We consider his conversations with the mathematician Kurt Godel, his letters to Franklin Delano Roosevelt that helped initiate what would become the Manhattan Project, and his post-war efforts to promote peace.

In this episode of the Scientific Odyssey, we delve more deeply into Einstein's religious views and recap the months up to his emigration to the United States to take a position at the Institute of Advanced Study.

In 1930, Albert Einstein wrote,  “I believe that the most important mission of the state is to protect the individual and to make it possible for him to develop into a creative personality.” This concise statement of his political philosophy would guide his actions through much of the 1920's and early 30's as he used his fame and celebrity to advance causes important to him.   In this episode, we'll examine those actions and causes.