Science 101: The Good Doctor's Guide to Basic Science . . .

[Doctor X]

. . . Based on Work Utterly Stolen from Pathetic Slobs*

As I ponder weak and weary upon my Celtics lore--compare Kobe to Jordan nevermore!--it came upon me that one of the problems with discussing subjects like science is the lack of knowledge. How does one correct that? Writing for My Humble Yet MagNIfIcent Self [Tm.--Ed.], it took a very long time to amass familiarity with biblical scholarship. Someone asks me about Creation Myths in Genesis, I remind them that no one has provedPeter Gabriel was addicted to mushrooms during Foxtrot and then bury them in an essay I have compiled with references and theophorics.

"Great," thinks Inquiring Poster, "how the hell am I to respond to all of this?"

Confronted with this problem, I created a running List [Tm.--Ed.] of basic resources that vary from beginner to expert.

So take Global Warming [An Al Gore Production--Ed.] . . . when asked about it, I reply "I don't like smog!" I do not know environmental science. If I want to know about it . . . where do I go? How do I avoid propaganda on either side of an issue?

We ["We?"--Ed.] frequently get confronted by people who make very erroneous statements regarding evolution, physics, and the infield-fly rule. I think part of that comes from a lack of familiarity with the subject. People have finite time, resources, interests. Someone comes a long and tells them that "evolution is only a theory," how do they critically evaluate that if they never had the opportunity to study evolution?

How does one correct that deficiency?

Simple!

One comes to moi . . . and I get members* to provide the resources while I take all of the credit!

So, I propose a number of subjects such as "Cosmology," "Environmental Sciences," "Evolution," et cetera. I would then like posters "who are skilled in this work" to suggests resources in the following categories:

• 1. Basic Introduction--for those who have never studied the subject.
  2. Intermediate--you have the basics, here are some details.
  3. Experienced--this reference explains a particular area

To give an example, I would consider Martin Gardiner's various works "Basic" for physics. Greene is "Basic" to "Intermediate" depending on the subject.

This does not have to limited to books. A few posters HERE have compiled "Mega Posts" on subjects--those may be linked. Perhaps there are webpages with good summaries--Bad Astronomy is an obvious one.

Now when confronted by a poster who does not know a subject, ye can kindly refer him to HERE. Do not really understand the evidence for an expanding universe? Come HERE and find the tools for enlightenment. The next post will contain the list under headings as suggestions come in.

Okay . . . I may even credit the poster who does the actual work . . . but you have to beg.


--J.D.

* "That's you, fathead!"

[Doctor X]

Biology

Evolution

Basic:

Notes on Practical Evolution—recommended by Angakuk

John Hawks’ on-going essays on evolution.

On Biological Evolution--recommended by Ari

Lone Ranger's essay on the subject, well worth the read.

Physics

Topics will blend--to understand cosmology, you will confront quantum, relativity, et cetera.

Astronomy

Basic:

Plait P. Bad Astronomy:Misconceptions and Misuses Revealed, from Astrology to the Moon Landing "Hoax." New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2002.--recommended by Moi

This is both a fun and informative book by the "Bad Astronomer"--www.badastronomy.com--Phil Plait which explains basics of astronomy by examining popular myths--like the direction toilets flush above and below the Equator--and questions--like why the sky actually is blue.

Basic Physics

Basic:

Feynman RP. Six Easy Pieces: Essentials of Physics Explained by Its Most Brilliant Teacher. Cambridge: Perseus Books, 1995.--recommended by Moi

The modesty of Feynman aside, this book was recommended to me by a physicist friend when I asked what he would recommend to introduce a beginner to physics. He is correct. This is a very basic introduction. Particularly interesting is his introduction to how physics affects other sciences such as biology.

Cosmology

"How did we get here, and why are we in a handbasket?"

Basic:

Singh S. Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe. New York: Harper Perennial, 2005.

As the title suggests, this is about cosmology. Intended for the layman, it is a great readable introduction to the development of theories of the origin of the universe.

Intermediate:

Greene B. The Fabric of the Cosmos: Space, Time, and the Texture of Reality. New York: Vintage Books, 2004.

Greene is more involved. While this is intended for the layman, Greene explores topics such as entanglement, strings, branes, and time. As such, Greene discusses relativity and quantum, and the issues reconciling the two.

Quantum Mechanics

Basic:

Gilmore R. Alice in Quantumland: An Allegory of Quantum Physics. New York: Springer-Verlag, 1995.--recommended by Moi

Do not let the title fool you; this is a very enjoyable introduction to the fundamentals of quantum. It is for the beginner.

--J.D.

[Smilin]

Sorry Doc,

I'm an Electrical Engineer by trade with a minor in Mathematics....

I turned to the one true God, "Google" when I began my own personal research into evolution, abiogenisus and the fallacies of the Bible.

I simply point out the IMPOSSIBILITY of the Genesis creation account, and if you can't trust the Bible on its version of the creation account, HOW can you trust it when it discusses matters on your "soul" and where you'll spend "eternity"?

It's all bullshit from where I sit (the bible).

Little will Christians acknowledge or EVEN HAVE KNOWLEDGE of how their "holy book" came into existance......

Those facts opened my eyes....

[Angakuk]

Notes in practical evolution

The above links to a blog post by John Hawks, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Wisconsin—Madison.

He writes:

I'm going to start a series of articles about the common sense aspect of evolutionary theory. What about evolution is actually practical knowledge? How can it help people understand things relevant to their own work or lives? This goes beyond the gee-whiz, "Where do we come from," National Geographic-kind of interesting question. That's nothing more than a framework for idle curiosity: it presents evolution as a kind of adjunct or substitute for religious inquiry.

I want to convey something more important. It matters that we evolved. The process of evolution allows scientific predictions that we can use to make things happen, to make them work. Evolutionary biology illustrates and informs us about decisions that society will have to make in the next 20 years; decisions that I want my students to be informed about.

When I teach evolution, I emphasize a common sense perspective. Understanding a science means knowing the boundaries of the possible. Biologists sometimes say that anything might be possible in biology -- it is, after all, highly dependent on historical events that might have turned out very differently. But while it's true that a wide range of things might have happened, it is not true that anything at all might have happened. Knowing evolutionary theory -- including its mathematical basis -- lets us understand the limits of the possible, the likely, and the fundamental trade-offs that balance them.

I can't promise that every example I describe will outline a practical problem, but they will all apply to the problems that face us today. Gene testing, behavioral modification, conservation, biotechnology, global warming -- all those are problems that demand not only economic logic but also biological logic

He plans to post an article every Friday. I, for one, plan to read them.

[Doctor X]

Hmmm . . . there seems to be a time limit on edits. I will see if I can fix that.

--J.D.

[Angakuk]

John Hawks has posted the first essay, Weed species (part 1), in his Practical Evolution series.

[Radathser]

That's right, the one and true god is in fact, the very meaning of life, the answer to any question...

show spoiler

Google.

[Dingfod]

I knew that when I was a baby?

[Listener]

I stumbled across MS130 Biology - course outline - Lots of human evolution and SEX!



Some links don't work but some are awsome