FEST Log

Entry #010
June 13, 2024

The opening of physics, act 2: a quantum world

At the end of the previous entry, #009, I described how the curtain dropped on physics, act 1: a classical world.  The second act of physics started in 1925 with the discovery of "quantum mechanics", a radical break from "classical mechanics", which was the name of the game of physics from Newton, via Maxwell, and through Einstein's special relativity and general relativity.

Entry #009
June 03, 2024

The State of Physics in 1865

This entry is a sequel to entry #008, "A Picture Book of Physics Theories."  There we followed the history of science starting from its prescientific roots till 1865, when Maxwell published his equations of electrodynamics. This unification of the theories of electricity and magnetism led to an explanation of the nature of light, which in turn enabled wireless communication, from early radio and tv to the daily use of our cell phones.

Entry #008
May 19, 2024

Clarifying diagrams

Many profound discoveries in physics and mathematics were initially presented in hard to understand jargon without clear illustrations of the key points.  Only years or sometimes decades later would deeper insight lead to simpler pictures, and vice versa: diagrams that were easy to interpret made it easier to get a sense of the deeper meaning of a theory.

Entry #007
May 10, 2024

The mystery of gravity

In the previous entry I presented a short narrative of the first three centuries of natural science, the science of matter.  The two highlights of radically new theory formation were Newton's laws of motion and of universal gravity, and Einstein's special and general relativity theories.  I described how Newton unified the dynamics of Aristotle's separate views of Earthly and celestial phenomena, and how Einstein unified space and time, as well as matter and energy, according to special relativity.

Entry #006
April 30, 2024

Experimental introductions to experience and appearance

In the last three entries I have introduced two different experiments as initial examples of what experimentation might look like in a science of mind.  In entry #003 I introduced the first one, a way of using experience to study experience.  I called it "Experiment 1): the nature of matter as experience".  The main idea was to turn the tables with respect to how we function in daily life.

Entry #005
April 14, 2024

Primitive elements underlying experience

In entry #003 I introduced two working hypotheses. The first one was "WH 1: there are primitive elements underlying experience."  We talked about the presence of an experiencer who is experiencing something that is experienced, suggesting at least three elements: the -er, -ing and -ed element.  That said, we have no clear idea what those elements can be, apart from the linguistic names subject and object and something that connects them.

Entry #004
April 02, 2024

Developing a lab culture and lab guidelines

In entry #001, I listed four categories of experiments in the science of matter: field observations, laboratory experiments, thought experiments, and computer experiments. Of those four, lab experiments are the most reliable. Because of the use of controlled conditions, they are less likely to introduce errors.

Entry #003
March 22, 2024

Getting a first taste

The previous two entries presented an extremely condensed version of the way natural science has been conducted for the last four centuries.  We are now ready to introduce a first experiment for a science of mind, using only the mind.

Entry #002
March 14, 2024

Historical roots of science

In the previous entry I've briefly touched upon the core aspects of science: theory, experiment, working hypotheses, and peer review.  These four have been in place since the beginning of modern science, roughly around 1600.  Let us now have a quick look at the origins of science, stretching back millennia.

Entry #001
March 08, 2024

Leaving The Harbor

The current log, like a logbook used by ancient mariners, will describe at somewhat irregular intervals the journey that we are about to embark on. We are going to leave the established harbor of the current state of science, which is almost exclusively using matter-based tools.  With a pedigree spanning more than four centuries in its current form, it is by now a relatively safe haven.  It has established ways of operation, in mostly well-defined fields and subfields.