标签：Copernicus

On VR (IV): If Houses Are Square, What’s So Strange About People Who See Squares? — On the Sensory Style of the Metaverse

AI & the Future of Technology2022.01.25
On VR (IV): If Houses Are Square, What’s So Strange About People Who See Squares? — On the Sensory Style of the Metaverse
In the earlier articles about the metaverse, I already said that the metaverse is not “virtual reality”—one path runs above reality, the other below it; these are two opposite roads. But just how different these two roads are, I still haven’t made sufficiently clear. Some people divide the development of the metaverse into two relatively independent dimensions: on the sensory dimension, simulation, realism, immersion; on the social dimension, openness, co-creation, decentralization. I basically agree with this division. Of course, first of all, I think the development of the metaverse places more emphasis on the social side, especially power relations and economic relations. But the path opposite to “virtual reality” that…
technology Aristotle Web3 environment
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2022年1月25日
Elevating the Enemy, or a Narrative Bigger Than the Grand

Culture & Public Commentary2020.02.17
Elevating the Enemy, or a Narrative Bigger Than the Grand
Forcibly rushing to exonerate Nurse Liu Fan has stirred anger. The so-called rumor enraged some people; they furiously denounced how terrifying rumors can be, and then produced the so-called refutation. Yet this “forceful, well-grounded” refutation seemed instead to confirm that she was indeed a nurse, that she was indeed fighting the epidemic, that she indeed died of the disease, and that her whole family indeed fell ill as well… So what exactly was wrong? The rumor-refuters emphasized that protective suits were not in short supply. The implication was that she had ample protective conditions, and was not infected because resources were tight; she could only have been infected because she…
philosophy history of science history Aristotle
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2020年2月17日
Newtonian Mechanics and Modern Currency

History of Science & Scholarship2018.08.20
Newtonian Mechanics and Modern Currency
On July 16, I was invited to give a short talk at an event organized by Shiliu Blockchain. The original title was “Newtonian Mechanics and Modern Currency.” A couple of days ago, they released the video and a written transcript, retitled “The Hidden Connections Between the Scientific Revolution and Modern Currency.” The manuscript was prepared by them based on my lecture; in fact, before the lecture I had already written my own speaking notes, which of course differ from the actual talk. I’m posting them below for reference. The Affinity with Bitcoin Like many people, I saw news about Bitcoin very early on in the tech media, but I never…
science history of science Web3 Scientific Revolution
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2018年8月20日
The Spirit of Science: Struggle or Harmony?

History of Science & Scholarship2018.06.20
The Spirit of Science: Struggle or Harmony?
This one was also commissioned, but it seems it was never published. It began because an editor at a newspaper or magazine wanted to put together a special issue on the scientific spirit and hoped to commission some related articles. The various keywords she gave included: tireless effort, fearless before power, daring to question, breaking through old prejudices, indifferent to fame and fortune, content with loneliness, even sacrifice of one’s life…… I disliked every single one of those words, so I proposed that these ideas were too cliché and too naïve. If we were going to talk about “the scientific spirit,” why not turn things around and talk about chasing…
science history of science scholarship scientific spirit
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2018年6月20日
Obsolete Wisdom (Preface to Fifteen Lectures on the General History of Science)

Culture & Public Commentary2016.03.04
Obsolete Wisdom (Preface to Fifteen Lectures on the General History of Science)
I am about to edit and publish my lecture notes on the history of science. The original title was to be *Fifteen Lectures on the History of Science*, but the editor suggested changing it to a more eye-catching main title. After wracking my brains, I came up with this phrase: “Outdated Wisdom.” What follows is my explanation of this title, or perhaps it can serve as the first section of the preface or introduction. Of course, this title has not been finalized; suggestions and naming proposals from teachers and friends are always welcome~ Studying Outdated Things with a Clear Conscience When we say that something “has become history,” we…
science history of science philosophy of science history
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2016年3月4日
Compendium of Recommended Readings for a General History of Science

History of Science & Technology2015.06.19
Compendium of Recommended Readings for a General History of Science
A selection of recommended books at hand above ↑ (the missing ones are all those I’ve no idea where I stuffed them, so I haven’t found them for the moment…) General history category, overall recommendations: Wu Guosheng: 《The Course of Science》——I’ve put my advisor’s book in the first place. Among books by domestic authors on the same subject, this one is still the best, but after all it was first published quite early, and now it does have quite a few shortcomings. McClellan, 《A General History of Science and Technology in the World》——A rather standard general history of science, at least much better than Dampier’s, with the highlight being the…
history of science course Kuhn Copernicus
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2015年6月19日
Lectures on the General History of Science 11: Alchemy and the Scientific Revolution [Next Week’s Class Discussion]

History of Science & Technology2015.05.14
Lectures on the General History of Science 11: Alchemy and the Scientific Revolution [Next Week’s Class Discussion]
Last class, we finished the mechanical revolution all the way up to Newton. The problems in physics provoked by Copernicus’s astronomical revolution were ultimately solved by Newtonian mechanics, but Newtonian mechanics itself implied a certain conceptual transformation amounting to sleight of hand: the distinction between nature and artifice, the distinction between inwardness and outwardness, and the boundary between physics and mechanics were all finally broken through, and the introduction of the concept of “force” ultimately substituted itself for people’s search for “cause.” We said that Newtonian mechanics is accidental in name; of course we could equally have had something like Empedology or Zhang San Dology, and F=ma could be replaced…
history of science course Scientific Revolution nature
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2015年5月14日
Lectures on the General History of Science 10: The Mechanics Revolution [Class Discussion the Week After Next]

History of Science & Technology2015.05.07
Lectures on the General History of Science 10: The Mechanics Revolution [Class Discussion the Week After Next]
Today the Department of Astronomy has an important lecture, and the astronomy students all took leave together, so that attendance in class fell to a new low; in the second period, only 3 people were left…… Although I do not require attendance every time, such a dismal turnout is still rather depressing. It seems I need to think of some way around it. There was a similar phenomenon when I used to take Professor Wu’s class: once the semester had entered its latter half and reached the stage of the Scientific Revolution, attendance actually dropped by quite a lot. Perhaps after half a semester of classes everyone was simply exhausted,…
course Aristotle Scientific Revolution Copernicus
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2015年5月7日
Lecture Notes on the General History of Science 9: The Copernican Revolution

History of Science & Technology2015.04.30
Lecture Notes on the General History of Science 9: The Copernican Revolution
Last time we talked about printing as the technological environment of the Scientific Revolution. Starting from this lesson, we will formally enter the period of the Scientific Revolution. Last time we mentioned that, when talking about the Scientific Revolution, we must at least distinguish three lines of development: first, astronomy; second, physics. These two lines converge in Newton, and can together be called the tradition of the mathematical sciences; this also constitutes the so-called “main line” of the Scientific Revolution in the usual sense. The third is alchemy and magic. This line stretches back farther than Copernicus and Newton; although its emblematic result is the rise of chemistry, its significance…
history of science philosophy of science course Scientific Revolution
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2015年4月30日
Lecture Notes on the General History of Science 7: The Middle Ages and Christian Science

History of Science & Technology2015.04.17
Lecture Notes on the General History of Science 7: The Middle Ages and Christian Science
After finishing with the Arabs and China, let us return to the West and talk about medieval science. As for the Middle Ages, I was wondering whether I should spend two classes on them, because traditionally this period has been rather neglected; people probably know very little about it, yet in fact it is extremely important. To discuss why modern science did not arise in the Arab world or in China, on the one hand we have to talk about what was lacking in Arab and Chinese civilization, and on the other hand we must also make clear what medieval Europe actually had. In this lecture we will mainly talk…
history of science scholarship education course
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2015年4月17日