April 18, 2014 at 11:14 am
Egyptian scientist, Ibn al-Haytham (AD 950-1040), is hailed as the father of modern optics and experimental physics. Also, he’s apparently one of the first to make a statement on scientific methodology: The seeker after truth is not one who studies the writings of the ancients and, following his natural disposition, puts his trust in them, […]
April 15, 2014 at 3:18 pm
This semester, CC102 has delved into the Daodejing and all the wonderful concepts it illuminates. Andrew Klufas, a student in Professor Nelson’s class, sent in an video of interest: What’s The Brightest Thing in the Universe? It’s creator, Vsauce, makes popular and informative videos on Youtube. Here, we see how Core Science meets Core Humanities: There is […]
By mdimov
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Posted in Curriculum, Great Ideas, video
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Also tagged astrophysics, black hole, bright, CC102, Daodejing, dark, quasar, star, Vsauce, yin and yang
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March 24, 2014 at 2:44 pm
Are you living an examined life? No, really, are you? In between texting while walking, daydreaming while note-taking, scrolling while sleeping, and sleeping while strolling, are you living an examined life? It’s ok if you are not. Few are. But it’s an important question to ask oneself, and that’s why philosophy matters. Clancy Martin, in […]
March 10, 2014 at 11:22 am
In a recent book, How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain, Dr. Gregory Bernes discusses his study (previously featured in a core blog post here) in which MRI brain scans of dogs were explored and showed human like emotions. However, not all dog enthusiasts have wholeheartedly accepted Bernes […]
December 16, 2013 at 12:51 pm
Recently, DNA has been extracted from a 400,000 year old femur discovered at an archaeological site in Spain. The DNA is the oldest yet published and its findings have surprised researchers because it was found to be more closely linked to the Denisovans, rather than Neanderthals as would be expected. The fossil was excavated in […]
October 11, 2013 at 1:56 pm
A recent post from Scientific American discusses the sticky subject of science and its role in morality. The scientific method has spewed some seemingly immoral conclusions. How do deal with that? Here are some thoughts: Researchers at the University of California Santa Barbara hypothesized that there is a deep-seated perception of science as a moral pursuit […]
August 28, 2013 at 9:49 am
Consciousness. What is it? The Core cannot say. However, an article by Michael Graziano for Aeon Magazine makes some interesting claims. Here is an extract: Many thinkers have approached consciousness from a first-person vantage point, the kind of philosophical perspective according to which other people’s minds seem essentially unknowable. And yet… we spend a lot of […]
August 20, 2013 at 12:18 pm
Today’s analect was inspired by Core alumni Tim Martinez (Core ’07-’09, CAS ’11) with reference to the study of Evolution and Society occurring in CC203, which Tim marks as one of his favorite courses he’s taken here at BU. Since taking it, he’s maintained a strong interest in Sociology, but has persisted in his IR […]
