Albert Einstein may, or may not, have said that “the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” A century ago the American philosopher, logician, mathematician and scientist Charles Sanders Peirce wrote that inductive and deductive reasoning on their own never led to a new idea. He warned […]
The role of imagination in science Read More »
Raphael’s masterpiece, The School of Athens (1509 – 1511) is a who’s who of influential philosophers, mathematicians and scientists spanning 2000 years of Western civilisation. With Plato and Aristotle as the central figures, the iconic fresco has come to symbolise the connections between art, philosophy and science. Framed by the impressive arch and dwarfed at
Critical Thinking, Science and Art Read More »
What do the world’s greatest thinkers, scientists, artists, and visionaries have in common? Archimedes of Syracuse, Leonardo Da Vinci and Galileo Galilei drew on the scientific knowledge of their times. They observed, measured, and imagined. They challenged widely accepted and long-held beliefs and created new knowledge. Each of them tested their hypotheses and adjusted their
The nature of genius Read More »
Did you know that the word technology has its origins in the Ancient Greek word, techne? Over 2000 years ago the Ancient Greek natural philosopher Aristotle (384–322BC) used the term techne in his teachings to describe the crafts and sciences, most notably through mathematics. The concept of science in this ancient world view focused on
Thank the Greeks for technology Read More »
Have you ever wondered why a boat made of steel floats in water while a solid bar of steel sinks? You might also wonder how the measurement of heat is related to buoyancy. At the start of the 17th Century, scientists wracked their brains to find a way to accurately detect the temperature of a
Galileo’s Thermometer Read More »