The Paper Turn?
I just finished reading David Kaiser's new book, Drawing Theories Apart: The Dispersion of Feynman Diagrams in Postwar Physics. Like other recent books in what one might call "the paper turn" in the history of science--Andrew Warwick's Masters of Theory, or Ursula Klein's Experiments, Models, Paper Tools, for example--Kaiser urges us to look at theoretical work on paper with the same practice-minded, analytical scrutiny as laboratory experiments or field work. These historians taking the paper turn, in my opinion, have found a good way to engage their interest in theoretical science with wider concerns in the field, and for that they should be commended.
It is interesting that all three of the books I just mentioned examine the physical sciences. Can we see similar things happening the the life sciences, earth sciences, or human sciences? (Or in medicine and technology?) Perhaps there haven't been such long-term productive paper tool systems comparable to Feynman diagrams or Berzelian chemical formulas in these fields. On the other hand, one thinks of phylogenetic trees in biology, perhaps, or kinship diagrams in social anthropology. (One might even put Rob Kohler's drosophila biologists, from Lords of the Fly, with their gene "mapping" diagrams in this category...) Any other ideas?
It is interesting that all three of the books I just mentioned examine the physical sciences. Can we see similar things happening the the life sciences, earth sciences, or human sciences? (Or in medicine and technology?) Perhaps there haven't been such long-term productive paper tool systems comparable to Feynman diagrams or Berzelian chemical formulas in these fields. On the other hand, one thinks of phylogenetic trees in biology, perhaps, or kinship diagrams in social anthropology. (One might even put Rob Kohler's drosophila biologists, from Lords of the Fly, with their gene "mapping" diagrams in this category...) Any other ideas?
posted by Jeremy @ 8:18 AM
5 Comments:
At 5:50 PM,
Anonymous said…
(Accidentally posted to the first December thread -- links there.)
To riff on Latour -- No more turns after the social turn, I think. It's an overused trope, turn. Maybe this will end up revolutionizing the field, but probably not. Could you say exactly how you see this changing our understandign of the history of science.
Having said that, I think you'r eright that there are lots of "paper tool systems" in the natural sciences. You're examples ar eright on.
Interestingly, there seems to be a convergence, as well. While you are looking for paper tool systems in biology, literary scholars are using biological metaphors to understand the spread of genres. See Franco Morreti's work. Here are some quick links.
At 12:48 PM,
Jeremy said…
Thanks for your comment. I deleted the duplicate that you accidentally posted on the other thread. I'm not sure that something has to completely revolutionize the field in order to qualify as a discernible "turn" (or "methodological trend," if you prefer). But I do think it is important that theoretical practice in science is now beginning to receive the same kind of treatment that experimental and observational practice has received in the past. Just as previous turns have left their indelible mark on the field--and I, like you, believe that the social turn is perhaps the most enduring--so too will all this writing about paper tools leave its mark for the foreseeable future. We cannot now write about scientific practice and theoretical research as if they are separate things. We now have some rich and well documented case studies to show exactly how theoretical science takes place in material and embodied practices. I think that is a significant change, even if not revolutionary, and even if we might have foreseen that it could or should be done.
At 8:51 AM,
Anonymous said…
A typical dictionary definition of hypnosis states that it is: a state that resembles sleep but that is induced by suggestion. However, anyone who has tried hypnosis (and any self respecting hypnotist) will tell you that this is a very simplistic view of the subject!
A much better description comes from the Free Online Dictionary which states that hypnosis is: an artificially induced state of consciousness, characterised by heightened suggestibility and receptivity to direction. So what does this mean and how can it be used to your advantage?
Well, the subject of hypnosis has been discussed and pondered since the late 1700s. Many explanations and theories have come and gone though science, however, has yet to supply a valid and well-established definition of how it actually happens. It's fairly unlikely that the scientific community will arrive at a definitive explanation for hypnosis in the near future either, as the untapped resources of our 'mostly' uncharted mind still remain something of a mystery.
However, the general characteristics of hypnosis are well documented. It is a trance state characterized by extreme suggestibility, deep relaxation and heightened imaginative functioning. It's not really like sleep at all, because the subject is alert the whole time. It is most often compared to daydreaming, or the feeling you get when you watch a movie or read a captivating book. You are fully conscious, but you tune out most of the outside world. Your focus is concentrated intensely on the mental processes you are experiencing - if movies didn't provide such disassociation with everyday life and put a person in a very receptive state then they would not be as popular (nor would TV advertising be as effective!). Have you ever stated that a film wasn't great because you just couldn't 'get into it'???
This works very simply; while daydream or watching a movie, an imaginary world becomes almost real to you because it fully engages your emotional responses. Such mental pursuits will on most occasions cause real emotional responses such as fear, sadness or happiness (have you ever cried at a sad movie, felt excited by a future event not yet taken place or shivered at the thought of your worst fear?).
It is widely accepted that these states are all forms of self-hypnosis. If you take this view you can easily see that you go into and out of mild hypnotic states on a daily basis - when driving home from work, washing the dishes, or even listening to a boring conversation. Although these situations produce a mental state that is very receptive to suggestion the most powerful time for self-change occurs in the trance state brought on by intentional relaxation and focusing exercises. This deep hypnosis is often compared to the relaxed mental state between wakefulness and sleep.
In this mental state, people feel uninhibited and relaxed and they release all worries and doubts that normally occupy their mind. A similar experience occurs while you are daydreaming or watching the TV. You become so involved in the onscreen antics
At 5:10 PM,
Anonymous said…
Hello!
Why do dogs eat their poop? One reason dogs eat their poop is because it just plain taste
good. Another reason is it could be a vitamin deficiency. One other reason for the poop
eating is that it is an instinctual behavior in the wild to eat the poop to keep other predators
from tracking their movements.
Some solutions for stopping poop eating are: You can put meat tenderizer on it.
What do you think?
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Bye, bye - Wendy!
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At 9:47 AM,
promoteyourblogforfree said…
nice blog
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