Re: Physics is a human construct

["Dr. William Newbolt" <NewboltW@madison.acad.wlu.edu>]

> Date:          Thu, 21 May 1998 10:15:02 -0400
> Reply-to:      phys-l@mailer.uwf.edu
> From:          Don Kniffen <dak@egret.gsfc.nasa.gov>
> To:            phys-l@atlantis.uwf.edu
> Subject:       Re: Physics is a human construct

> I would take issue with part of Bob's statement on
> uniqueness. The decision to go to the Moon was
> purely political. It was an artifact of the cold war. All
> one needs to do to demonstrate this is to examine the fate
> of the science budgets since the cold war ended. Some of
> the problems we are discussing about salaries and jobs are
> a result of an over supply of the commodity (scientists)
> produced to help in  the war effort. Put to a vote, our
> society would not be willing to vote budgets to satisfy
> our scientific curiosity. How is that for cynicism?
>
> Are such political motives unique to homo-sapiens?
> Perhaps so, but the agressiveness that leads to things
> like the cold war certainly is not.
>
> With regards to intellectual curiosity, why is that 
> more unique than any other survival trait resulting
> from natural selection? We revere it because we have
> developed the trait and find it very appealing. But
> the primary purpose of it was to give us a means of 
> survival against species that developed other 
> advantageous traits that could do us in without some
> intelligence to defend ourselves. I am not too 
> optimistic about the intellectual curiosity of homo-
> sapiens anyway, if that must compete with a big
> house or SUV.
>
> Sorry to be so cynical. That is not my ordinary
> nature, but this is a time when the cuts in science 
> budgets have me deeply concerned.
>
> Don Kniffen

I don't know much about our uniqueness.  I do know that Don 
is right about scientific curiosity.  Many folks in 
congress see physicists and engineers primarily as persons 
who know how to build ICBM's, and fearful weapons to put on 
them.  They want to scare the current political opponents 
into bending to their will. If the world becomes a less 
dangerous place the politicians will be less and less 
likely to fund scientific projects.  They will say that 
there are too many pressing needs for the taxpayer's dollar 
to be able to find a scientific results who only a fraction 
of the population with understand or appreciate.  

How is that for pessimism?                  WBN
Barlow Newbolt
Department of Physics and Engineering
Washington and Lee University
Lexington, VA 24450
Telephone and Phone Mail:  540-463-8881
Fax: 540-463-8884
e-mail: NewboltW@madison.acad.wlu.edu

"Prediction is very difficult, especially about the future."
                                          
                                          Neils Bohr