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Chomsky said some interesting things about science’s impact on engineering/medicine: “Until very recently engineers learned from the sciences, but most of what
by calibraxis 11y ago
Chomsky said some interesting things about science’s impact on engineering/medicine:
“Until very recently engineers learned from the sciences, but most of what they knew was craft. The crafts were so much more advanced than theoretical understanding that the engineers worked like artists. You know, you learned how to do it. Physics didn’t really get to contribute to engineering theory until fairly recently. In fact, when I got to MIT not that long ago in the 1950s, it was still largely an engineering school, and physics was taught as a service. But if engineers wanted to construct electric circuits or build a bridge and so on, you learned for the profession and you learned some physics – and it helped you, but now it’s changed.” (http://www.justresponse.net/chomsky_offers_advice.html http://www.justresponse.net/chomsky_offers_advice.html)
Science is a social movement, with a history we can look at. Like many movements, there’s lots misleading written about it. Often going into religion, especially when groups try to claim its prestige for themselves. (We might include mainstream economics here, but hilariously many capitalist economists aim beyond science, closer to math. At least many Marxists "only" claimed to have Scientific Truths.)
- carapat_virulat 11y ago>At least many Marxists "only" claimed to have Scientific Truths.) Marx was probably using the German word "Wissenschaft"[1] which is not the same as modern empirical science, it's means something like structured knowledge and it includes branches of knowledge like history or literature that aren't called science in English. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wissenschaft https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wissenschaft
- spacecowboy_lon 11y agoChomsky is talking bollocks there Railway engineers where using the science behind steam engines well before the 50's and I mean the 1850's here