I was in Detroit this past week and got to experience the nuttiness of the airport security hysteria that was a consequence of the failed terrorist attack. The hype made my daughter afraid to fly, which really upset me. I came across this link which is even more disturbing as it reveals the much greater […]
Month: December 2009
Democratic doubletalk on budgets
Democratic doubletalk on budget shenanigans associated with the health care reform bill. You get the government you deserve. I hate the idea of future generations paying for our short attention span and fascination with reality TV
Reflection on Thomas Kuhn’s Structure of Scientific Revolutions (part 2)
Thomas Kuhn’s influential book “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions” ignited a firestorm of debate and controversy in 1962 which continues unabated to this very day. Noted as the most widely cited book in the 20th century, Kuhn’s writing has penetrated the public consciousness to shape our collective language and thinking about science, truth and ethics. […]
Reflecting on Kuhn’s “Structure of Scientific Revolutions”
I am enjoying Dr Steven Goldman’s 24 lecture series from the Teaching Company on “Science Wars: What scientists know and how they know it” Lectures 16 thru 22 are directly related to Kuhn, does a great job of summarizing the context and subsequent interpretation of Kuhn’s work. Synopsis: Kuhn was a pro-science scientist, whose work […]
Complexity and planning for “endstates”
from a discussion on usefulness or not of the “end-state” concept and planning in general when faced with the challenges of nation building: Complexity theory says that complexity arises from a combination of 4 attributes: moderate to high levels of interdependence, connectedness, diversity and adaptation. Complex systems do not lend themselves to cause & effect […]