标签：science communication

A Discussion of Aliens as a Modern Superstition

History of Science & Scholarship2013.03.31
A Discussion of Aliens as a Modern Superstition
Recently, some netizens have been leaving comments on the blog discussing the issue of aliens (there were some earlier discussions under Jiang Xiaoyuan’s lecture commentary). Since his comment was placed under the introduction page Who Is Gu Bo?, it felt a bit out of place (in general, casual comments and questions may as well be posted under the message board), so I decided to open a new post and transplant the comments over directly~ Although I have already discussed this here and there in bits and pieces, I have always wanted to write a dedicated essay on the issue of aliens; it could be an essay on “science and…
science blog religion discussion
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2013年3月31日
“The Two Cultures”: Science and Literature, or Science and the Humanities? — Reflections on Liu Bing’s Lecture

History of Science & Scholarship2010.10.29
“The Two Cultures”: Science and Literature, or Science and the Humanities? — Reflections on Liu Bing’s Lecture
Today Teacher Liu Bing’s topic was “STS and Science Communication in Drama and Fiction.” He first introduced some background on what Snow called the “two cultures,” and then discussed three dramatic works: *Life of Galileo*, *The Physicists*, and *Copenhagen*. There wasn’t time to talk about the fiction section, and the presentation was mainly a display of examples rather than a line of argument, so I’ll write my reflections on one issue from the background material. When Snow spoke of the “two cultures,” he meant scientific culture and literary culture. Teacher Liu mentioned that nowadays we more often speak of “science and the humanities.” “Humanities” is much broader in meaning than…
culture science Confucianism science communication
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2010年10月29日
This Episode’s Music: “The Song of Scientism” (Super Star)

Life & Notes2008.02.17
This Episode’s Music: “The Song of Scientism” (Super Star)
What is “scientism”? Anti-scientism can be said to be one of my basic positions, running through all my articles. But Unic still says: too vague. Come to think of it, that makes sense. I basically treat anti-scientism as a default orientation, and in concrete discussions I have never clearly and explicitly targeted the concept of “scientism.” Because philosophy of science is my main line of work, and views on this point especially need to be handled with caution, I do not want to define this thing called “scientism” explicitly for the time being. And I also do not want to get into “two armies confronting each other”; in such a…
everyday life philosophy of science Liu Huajie science communication
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2008年2月17日
The Difference Between “Argumentation” and “Bamboozling”

History of Science & Scholarship2008.01.22
The Difference Between “Argumentation” and “Bamboozling”
Sometimes, out of irony, I also call activities such as argument, persuasion, and admonition “brainwashing.” But if we really press the matter, I must insist that “argument” and “brainwashing” are by no means equivalent. In fact, we can all feel the difference between the two; otherwise we would not laugh at the “brainwashing” displayed in Zhao Benshan’s comic sketches. First of all, the purposes of “argument” and “brainwashing” are simply not the same. On the one hand, the former requires the other person to “actively” come to accept it, whereas the latter only requires the other person to “passively” receive it; on the other hand, the former is oriented toward…
scholarship modernity democracy science communication
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2008年1月22日
[English] John Lloyd, John Mitchinson: The Book of General Ignorance — 200 Questions People Commonly Overlook

History of Science & Scholarship2007.10.28
[English] John Lloyd, John Mitchinson: The Book of General Ignorance — 200 Questions People Commonly Overlook
[UK] John Lloyd and John Mitchinson: *Quips and Quibbles——200 Questions People Generally Overlook*, translated by Wang Zhanghua, Li Jian, Yang Yu, Wu Wenzhong, Shen Xianyun, and Chen Jie, Guangxi Science and Technology Publishing House, August 2007, 24.8 yuan Another book of entertaining popular-science questions, or rather, one could call this sort of book “popular-science 8g.” Still, compared with the other books of this kind I’ve read, including *Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze?* and the previous *Who Says Men Can’t Get Pregnant?*, this one is much more exciting. No wonder even Teacher Wu actually “jointly recommended” this book… (Joining him in the recommendation were also Academician Zhu Zuoyan of the Chinese…
book reading notes Wu Guosheng science communication
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2007年10月28日
[American] Leon Lederman and Dick Teresi: “The God Particle”

History of Science & Scholarship2007.09.07
[American] Leon Lederman and Dick Teresi: “The God Particle”
[US]Liang Lederman, Dick Teresi: The God Particle—If the Universe Is the Answer, What Is the Question?, translated by Mi Xijun, Gu Hongwei, Zhao Jianhui, and Chen Hongwei, proofread by Yin Chuanhong, Shanghai Science and Technology Education Press, December 2003, 33.5 yuan This book is one of the Gold Fleece series. At 400,000 characters, it is far too long for a popular science book; still, since it is a popular work by a Nobel Prize winner in physics, it is rare enough. The theme of the book is humankind’s quest for the “atom” (the basic element of the world), from Democritus, Newton, Dalton, all the way to modern physics. Of course,…
philosophy book reading notes history of science
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2007年9月7日
[Korean] Zheng Zaicheng: “The Science Concert”

History of Science & Scholarship2007.07.21
[Korean] Zheng Zaicheng: “The Science Concert”
[Korean] Jeong Jae-seung: *The Science Concert*, translated by Le Heng, Hainan Publishing House and Sihuan Publishing House, December 2003, 20 yuan The cover introduces it as “Hallyu popular science: scientific stories in daily life.” The book’s subtitle, “A Complex World and Bright, Clear Science,” uses light, engaging, and close-to-life stories to introduce some knowledge related to complexity science, including physics, fractals, statistics, and economics. Very good! It is not only far, far better than the level of popular science in China, but can also stand alongside popular science works in Europe and America, while at the same time being distinctive and full of character. Complexity is everywhere. July 21, 2007
book reading science notes science communication
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2007年7月21日
[Eng.] Edited by Mick O’Hare: Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze?

History of Science & Scholarship2007.07.20
[Eng.] Edited by Mick O’Hare: Why Don’t Penguins’ Feet Freeze?
[UK] Mick O’Hare, ed., *Why Don’t Penguin’s Feet Freeze? — 113 “Why” Questions and Answers from the General Public*, trans. Wang Mingyang, Guangxi Science and Technology Press, June 2007, 14.8 yuan Having held the top spot on the British Amazon overall bestseller list for 12 consecutive weeks, selling 130,000 copies in a single week and 830,000 copies in six months… jointly recommended by Zhang Jingzhong, Gan Zizhao, Jiang Xiaoyuan, and Liu Huajie… a book like this, of course, I could not let pass. This is indeed an extraordinary book—a popular-science book about all sorts of odd and amusing questions is not rare (though such books are generally imported ones), but…
book reading notes science communication
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2007年7月20日
A Discussion on the Teachers’ Blogs: Science Communication from the Perspective of the Philosophy of Scientific Practice

History of Science & Scholarship2007.03.23
A Discussion on the Teachers’ Blogs: Science Communication from the Perspective of the Philosophy of Scientific Practice
**Science Communication from the Perspective of Philosophy of Scientific Practice** 2007-03-16 11:38:45 http://blog.sina.com.cn/u/48c5bb42010008zr#comment Science Communication from the Perspective of Philosophy of Scientific Practice Jiang Jinsong Institute for Science, Technology and Society, Tsinghua University 100084 Science Studies, 2007 (1), 9-13 *[Date received]: 2006-04-14, revised date: 2006-7-20 Funded by: National Social Science Fund project (05BZX029) [Author bio] Jiang Jinsong (1965–), male, PhD in philosophy, associate professor, research interests: philosophy of science and the relation between science and religion. Abstract: From the perspective of philosophy of scientific practice, science is local knowledge that originates in the laboratory. Scientific knowledge is, in the sense of Foucault, a power relation that shapes the scene. Science…
science philosophy of science science communication power
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2007年3月23日
Do Not Forget Popularization

Life & Notes2006.08.25
Do Not Forget Popularization
Whether in philosophy or in science, “popularization” is needed—that is to say, the public outside the field needs to be brought to some degree of understanding in some way. Most people would agree with this; the question is only—who should popularize, to whom should it be popularized, in what way, how should the effects of popularization be defined, and so on. In modern times, learning has become increasingly specialized, increasingly profound, and thus increasingly distant from the grasp of ordinary people. In such circumstances, “popularization” instead appears ever more important. But the current state of popularization is worrying. Looking at science popularization: in fact, modern times can be said to…
philosophy everyday life scholarship science communication
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2006年8月25日