Re: Explanation of electricity

[Hugh Haskell <hhaskell@MINDSPRING.COM>]

At 8:32 -0500 8/17/03, Karl Trappe wrote:
> Nonetheless, your point is well taken.  Poets *know they don't
> understand science*, while scientists frequently *think they
> understand poetry*.  Hmmm, smile, Karl
I'm not so sure. I think some "poets" do think they understand
science, and don't like it a bit. But the "science" they are thinking
about is a gross distortion of what we see as science. The problem is
a communications one. We are really talking about two different
things.

On the other hand, I *know* I don't understand a whole lot about
"poetry," but I wouldn't mind learning more about it, and in fact I
am making just such an effort, as I think most scientists do.

And furthermore, I think that scientists in general are making more
effort to help others understand science, than "poets" are making to
help scientists understand poetry. After all, there are any number of
textbook out there called "Physics for Poets," but how many books
titled "Poetry for Physicists" have you seen? The chemist Alexander
Borodin was a composer on the side (the opera Prince Igor, a couple
of symphonies, other stuff). How many composers do you know of who
were chemists on the side?

(By "poetry" I'm assuming we all mean that broad category of
disciplines that are lumped together as the humanities.)

I rather suspect that I know somewhat more about history, say, than
most historians know about physics (except, of course, for historians
of physics).

I recall reading that C. P. Snow, made several Oxford dons somewhat
huffy, when, after carrying on a dialog with them for some time about
their areas of expertise, he asked them their opinions about the
second law of thermodynamics. Feynman recounts a somewhat similar
experience when he was seated next to the Queen of Sweden at his
Nobel prize banquet. I don't recall the words, but it's in "Surely
You're Joking . . ." if you want to find the details as told by him.

Hugh
--

Hugh Haskell
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<mailto:hhaskell@mindspring.com>

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