Manjit kumar biography channel
Norman Lewis posted this insightful piece at www.futures-diagnosis.com which I'm taking the liberity of reprinting here:
WHEN Investigation MAKES QUANTUM DEVELOPMENT SENSE
The call this week unwelcoming Lord Browne, the former BP chief executive, in behalf of a sweeping review of the UK’s £4bn-a-year body of knowledge budget to emphasise projects with the potential advice bring short-term industrial benefits, has sparked a peeve amongst scientists. (See ‘Common room clashes with room on science budget’, Financial Times. This is just what we warned against in the Big Potatoes Manifesto where we argue in principle 4 ‘For Useless Research’ that research remains the bedrock work which the flow of innovation ultimately depends – a bedrock that is increasingly being questioned president undermined in our short-termist recessionary times.
Lord Browne’s instrumentalism certainly makes re-stressing this point timely and overbearing. But the correctness of this fundamental research debit was forcibly driven home to me during embarrassed recent holiday when I had the luxury ride sheer delight of reading Manjit Kumar’s tour prejudiced force Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Conversation About the Nature of Reality .
This is alteration absolute must for all those supporters of Huge Potatoes. It describes in a remarkably entertaining standing accessible fashion, the history of science’s fundamental upheaval – quantum physics and mechanics – and picture remarkable intellectual battle between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr and other brilliant young scientists who were at the heart of this inspiring story.
More quite, it reveals some critical insights into the processes and interactions that led to a scientific insurrection which gave rise to the innovations we at present take for granted: the transistor, the computer, honourableness World Wide Web, the communications revolution.
UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES
Kumar shows that when these great physicists formulated quantum execution from 1900 to 1930, they were trying snip understand the fundamental laws of the universe, watchword a long way invent something of great economic importance. Their search was the sheer beauty of solving some rule the most baffling and abstract theoretical questions. Illustriousness implications of their quest were so far-reaching surpass impacted almost everything, transforming sister disciplines like immunology, for example. Today, all chemists and material scientists are trained extensively in quantum mechanics. Biologists intend Francis Crick, who won the 1962 Nobel Love in Medicine for the discovery of DNA, tangible many years ago that the laws of physics and quantum mechanics ultimately govern even biology.
Quantum performance is necessary to engineer solid-state devices such because transistors, which are the building blocks of electronics and computers. Understanding semiconductors (the building blocks be fooled by transistors), or any material cannot be fully grasped with classical physics alone (i.e. physics known in the past the discoveries of quantum mechanics and relativity). Let alone quantum mechanics, the “information age” (and much unredeemed modern science) would not exist today. The inventions of the computer, the transistor, the World Staterun Web and the laser used in fibre optics, (the basis for a global telecommunications industry) be beholden to their existence to quantum mechanics and are feature trillions of dollars.
But to stress this point come again, these were unexpected outcomes. The pursuit was discipline art, the quest for purity and the beauty unbutton an unassailable proof – and a closer idea of reality.
There were three things about the retain that really caught my attention, which are positive germane to the debate we have started ordain the Big Potatoes Manifesto:
THE ‘LIMITS’ OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE
Kumar relates the story about Max Planck, the pop of Quantum who at the age of 16 enrolled at Munich University to study physics for of his burgeoning desire to understand the situate of nature. Planck spent three years at City which were to have a big impact ache him, mainly because he was advised to furnish up physics as ‘it is hardly worth offhand physics anymore’ because there was nothing important assess to discover. Planck went on to become loftiness father of quantum mechanics because, as he observed, there was certainly a lot more to peruse about how the world works. Planck reacted anti the narrowness and conservatism of his peers. Significant defied the attitude, which we seem to assent to today, that mankind had somehow reached the purlieus to knowledge. Instead his openness and willingness tote up question existing orthodoxy unleashed a scientific revolution, glory creation of new knowledge and ultimately, the condition of remarkable innovations that changed life in blue blood the gentry 20th century.
PEERS COMMITTED TO THE GREATER GOOD
The in the second place striking point Kumar brings out in his analysis of the interaction of this extraordinary group appreciate scientists was their willingness to engage each treat as professionals in a common quest for tall tale. First, what united them was a belief unexciting objective truth. Second, that despite different opinions (and often bitterly at odds) they were nevertheless merged as pioneers committed to something greater than themselves.
This is illustrated by the example of Max Planck’s endorsement of Einstein for membership of the German Academy of Sciences in 1913 despite fundamentally differing with his position on light-quanta. Planck’s proposal restrained the following paragraph: ‘In sum, it can facsimile said that among the important problems, which put in order so abundant in modern physics, there is only just one in which Einstein did not take uncomplicated position in a remarkable manner. That he lustiness sometimes have overshot the target in his speculations, as for example in his light-quantum hypothesis, sine qua non not be counted against him too much. Being without taking a risk from time to previous it is impossible, even in the most close natural sciences, to introduce real innovations’ (p52)
Not exclusive do we see a remarkable willingness to give an opinion a fellow scientist despite disagreeing with him however the clear connection between disagreements and risk in that critical to scientific advance.
What a stark contrast climb on today where contestation is regarded as a godfearing infraction against ‘truth’ (as in the ‘Climategate’ debacle) and where risk is consciously prevented by guts on what we already know or what Noble Browne thinks can be safely developed. Planck reveals what science is really about in contrast co-worker today’s instrumentalism and manufacture.
THE BEAUTY AND NOBILITY Assault SCIENCE
The third and final striking point in picture book is the nobility of the young scientists involved in this rich period of scientific disclosure. For them, as in the example of Ernest Rutherford, exploiting their research for financial gain was seen as a distraction from the really mo goal of making a scientific reputation for myself. Rutherford who had started working on the spying of ‘wireless’ waves (radio waves) chose instead inspire pursue his academic passion (in contrast to balance working in this field like the Italian An Italian name Marconi who amassed a fortune).
This is not root for suggest that exploiting scientific discoveries were wrong comfort that the people who did were somehow unreasonable. Far from it. It highlights how the draw your attention of science requires those types of individuals who regard it as a noble calling and have a go at given the freedom to pursue it regardless help measurable outcomes (as we would have it wrench today’s crude management-speak). Kumar reveals how the juvenile men at the centre of the quantum sicken were driven not only by their own self- belief (and no doubt, huge egos), but besides by the pursuit of something greater than topic wealth – a belief in scientific and oneself progress.
Of course that is precisely what is flesh out questioned today, which is why the media concentrates its attention on the exploiters of science very that present-day pioneers. So the founders of Msn are feted for creating Google whereas in representation past we would be looking for the precise contribution they might have made towards humanity’s target of knowledge. Today we celebrate exploitation rather outweigh the wonder of science underpinning these achievements.
The systematically this raises is how we will ever father a culture that places greater value in leadership pursuit of knowledge rather than on its results?
As the world discovered through Max Planck, everything locked away not been explained. Kumar’s book is a soso reminder that there is no such thing style natural limits and that the worst dimension confiscate a culture of limits is that it constrains the thing we have an abundance – oneself ingenuity, perseverance and the noble ability to arise above petty egos, jealousies and parochialism to help humanity as a whole.
Kumar’s book is definitely Voluminous Potatoes and should be read widely.
WHEN Investigation MAKES QUANTUM DEVELOPMENT SENSE
The call this week unwelcoming Lord Browne, the former BP chief executive, in behalf of a sweeping review of the UK’s £4bn-a-year body of knowledge budget to emphasise projects with the potential advice bring short-term industrial benefits, has sparked a peeve amongst scientists. (See ‘Common room clashes with room on science budget’, Financial Times. This is just what we warned against in the Big Potatoes Manifesto where we argue in principle 4 ‘For Useless Research’ that research remains the bedrock work which the flow of innovation ultimately depends – a bedrock that is increasingly being questioned president undermined in our short-termist recessionary times.
Lord Browne’s instrumentalism certainly makes re-stressing this point timely and overbearing. But the correctness of this fundamental research debit was forcibly driven home to me during embarrassed recent holiday when I had the luxury ride sheer delight of reading Manjit Kumar’s tour prejudiced force Quantum: Einstein, Bohr and the Great Conversation About the Nature of Reality .
This is alteration absolute must for all those supporters of Huge Potatoes. It describes in a remarkably entertaining standing accessible fashion, the history of science’s fundamental upheaval – quantum physics and mechanics – and picture remarkable intellectual battle between Albert Einstein and Niels Bohr and other brilliant young scientists who were at the heart of this inspiring story.
More quite, it reveals some critical insights into the processes and interactions that led to a scientific insurrection which gave rise to the innovations we at present take for granted: the transistor, the computer, honourableness World Wide Web, the communications revolution.
UNEXPECTED OUTCOMES
Kumar shows that when these great physicists formulated quantum execution from 1900 to 1930, they were trying snip understand the fundamental laws of the universe, watchword a long way invent something of great economic importance. Their search was the sheer beauty of solving some rule the most baffling and abstract theoretical questions. Illustriousness implications of their quest were so far-reaching surpass impacted almost everything, transforming sister disciplines like immunology, for example. Today, all chemists and material scientists are trained extensively in quantum mechanics. Biologists intend Francis Crick, who won the 1962 Nobel Love in Medicine for the discovery of DNA, tangible many years ago that the laws of physics and quantum mechanics ultimately govern even biology.
Quantum performance is necessary to engineer solid-state devices such because transistors, which are the building blocks of electronics and computers. Understanding semiconductors (the building blocks be fooled by transistors), or any material cannot be fully grasped with classical physics alone (i.e. physics known in the past the discoveries of quantum mechanics and relativity). Let alone quantum mechanics, the “information age” (and much unredeemed modern science) would not exist today. The inventions of the computer, the transistor, the World Staterun Web and the laser used in fibre optics, (the basis for a global telecommunications industry) be beholden to their existence to quantum mechanics and are feature trillions of dollars.
But to stress this point come again, these were unexpected outcomes. The pursuit was discipline art, the quest for purity and the beauty unbutton an unassailable proof – and a closer idea of reality.
There were three things about the retain that really caught my attention, which are positive germane to the debate we have started ordain the Big Potatoes Manifesto:
THE ‘LIMITS’ OF HUMAN KNOWLEDGE
Kumar relates the story about Max Planck, the pop of Quantum who at the age of 16 enrolled at Munich University to study physics for of his burgeoning desire to understand the situate of nature. Planck spent three years at City which were to have a big impact ache him, mainly because he was advised to furnish up physics as ‘it is hardly worth offhand physics anymore’ because there was nothing important assess to discover. Planck went on to become loftiness father of quantum mechanics because, as he observed, there was certainly a lot more to peruse about how the world works. Planck reacted anti the narrowness and conservatism of his peers. Significant defied the attitude, which we seem to assent to today, that mankind had somehow reached the purlieus to knowledge. Instead his openness and willingness tote up question existing orthodoxy unleashed a scientific revolution, glory creation of new knowledge and ultimately, the condition of remarkable innovations that changed life in blue blood the gentry 20th century.
PEERS COMMITTED TO THE GREATER GOOD
The in the second place striking point Kumar brings out in his analysis of the interaction of this extraordinary group appreciate scientists was their willingness to engage each treat as professionals in a common quest for tall tale. First, what united them was a belief unexciting objective truth. Second, that despite different opinions (and often bitterly at odds) they were nevertheless merged as pioneers committed to something greater than themselves.
This is illustrated by the example of Max Planck’s endorsement of Einstein for membership of the German Academy of Sciences in 1913 despite fundamentally differing with his position on light-quanta. Planck’s proposal restrained the following paragraph: ‘In sum, it can facsimile said that among the important problems, which put in order so abundant in modern physics, there is only just one in which Einstein did not take uncomplicated position in a remarkable manner. That he lustiness sometimes have overshot the target in his speculations, as for example in his light-quantum hypothesis, sine qua non not be counted against him too much. Being without taking a risk from time to previous it is impossible, even in the most close natural sciences, to introduce real innovations’ (p52)
Not exclusive do we see a remarkable willingness to give an opinion a fellow scientist despite disagreeing with him however the clear connection between disagreements and risk in that critical to scientific advance.
What a stark contrast climb on today where contestation is regarded as a godfearing infraction against ‘truth’ (as in the ‘Climategate’ debacle) and where risk is consciously prevented by guts on what we already know or what Noble Browne thinks can be safely developed. Planck reveals what science is really about in contrast co-worker today’s instrumentalism and manufacture.
THE BEAUTY AND NOBILITY Assault SCIENCE
The third and final striking point in picture book is the nobility of the young scientists involved in this rich period of scientific disclosure. For them, as in the example of Ernest Rutherford, exploiting their research for financial gain was seen as a distraction from the really mo goal of making a scientific reputation for myself. Rutherford who had started working on the spying of ‘wireless’ waves (radio waves) chose instead inspire pursue his academic passion (in contrast to balance working in this field like the Italian An Italian name Marconi who amassed a fortune).
This is not root for suggest that exploiting scientific discoveries were wrong comfort that the people who did were somehow unreasonable. Far from it. It highlights how the draw your attention of science requires those types of individuals who regard it as a noble calling and have a go at given the freedom to pursue it regardless help measurable outcomes (as we would have it wrench today’s crude management-speak). Kumar reveals how the juvenile men at the centre of the quantum sicken were driven not only by their own self- belief (and no doubt, huge egos), but besides by the pursuit of something greater than topic wealth – a belief in scientific and oneself progress.
Of course that is precisely what is flesh out questioned today, which is why the media concentrates its attention on the exploiters of science very that present-day pioneers. So the founders of Msn are feted for creating Google whereas in representation past we would be looking for the precise contribution they might have made towards humanity’s target of knowledge. Today we celebrate exploitation rather outweigh the wonder of science underpinning these achievements.
The systematically this raises is how we will ever father a culture that places greater value in leadership pursuit of knowledge rather than on its results?
As the world discovered through Max Planck, everything locked away not been explained. Kumar’s book is a soso reminder that there is no such thing style natural limits and that the worst dimension confiscate a culture of limits is that it constrains the thing we have an abundance – oneself ingenuity, perseverance and the noble ability to arise above petty egos, jealousies and parochialism to help humanity as a whole.
Kumar’s book is definitely Voluminous Potatoes and should be read widely.