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Alan Lightman is a writer and physicist.
Originally from Memphis, he has served on the faculties of Harvard and MIT and was the first person at MIT to receive dual faculty appointments in science and in the humanities.
He is currently a professor of the practice of the humanities at MIT.
Alan has authored numerous books, including Einstein’s Dreams, an international best seller, and The Diagnosis which was a finalist for the National Book Award in fiction. And along the way, he has done research on the astrophysics of black holes and stellar dynamics.
In this episode, Alan Lightman talks to us about the scientific method, what makes science a unique and powerful discipline, and the contributions scientists have made in history, are making now, and surely will continue to make.
Highlights of the episode:
*Susan introduces Alan and today’s topic [1:41];
*What led Alan to become a scientist [3:06];
*Why Alan decided to shift from science to writing [4:35];
*The scientific method is a way of thinking, and why science is conducive to this way of thinking because we can check hypotheses [6:16];
*The objectivity of science results from the community working together and challenging each other [9:30];
*Why is it more difficult to test a hypothesis in other disciplines? [10:28];
*The importance of experiments that don’t work and hypothesis that don’t work [14:20];
*You can disprove a hypothesis, but you can’t prove it. Why? [18:13];
*How science progresses through theories and then experiments that disagree with those theories [21:15];
*The unfortunate and harmful situation of flashy headlines in science communication [23:25];
*Science does not progress by flashy news, but by accumulation of small steps and “not mostly dramatic breakthroughs” [26:48];
*Scientists as people — what are they like? What did Alan learn from profiling scientists in his new book, The Shape of Wonder, co-written with Martin Rees? [27:33];
*Scientists are curious about the world and want to do experiments — you can even do it at home, not just in the classroom! [30:43];
*What is Alan hopeful about in science and what is concerning? [31:40];
*Alan’s advice to students interested in science [35:17]
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