Evolution of a Scientist

Katie Eppley, Raisa Janke, Leah Schaffer, Kayleigh Sopko and Megan Taylor

“Everyone who served the demanding goddess of science had to face the same despair in the end. As his powers of work fell off, the scientist held on as best he could, unable to imagine any other life for himself.” From Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist by Russell McCormmach.

       As we begin the final leg of our journey, we too have been faced with change—change not only of the physical environment as we move from place to place, but change of ourselves. So why is this change thing so scary? So dangerous? Change is a natural thing and we see the constant evolution in everything from the ground beneath our feet to our waters, our skies.

      But even as scientists deal with the issue of global climate change, there is still a trend of holding on to the classical way of observation and theory. But, through this program, we as students of Hiram College have busted through the classical tradition of scientific learning and as a result, we have learned more about our perception of science and have seen first hand how that has been reflected in our observations and conclusions.

      Having left behind Measuring the World, we have now shifted into a new novel with new characters and a new perspective on the life of science and the scientist himself. Victor Jakob is a classical physicist and the central character of Russell McCormmach’s Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist. In this novel Victor is confronted with the evolution of physics away from the classical approach he has dedicated his life to towards a more modern, experimental approach to which he cannot adapt.

JakobsLadder has entered the room

AlexVonHumby: But when you force yourself to learn in that unfamiliar place—when you make yourself uncomfortable—that’s when you learn best! That’s when a man or woman can learn something not only about his studies, but also about himself.

GassyGauss28: Some of my greatest breakthroughs have happened at my desk.

JakobsLadder: Sounds like a true classicist to me!

EXCELentK: Classicism may offer a universal appeal that’s been tested and accepted, but that doesn’t mean it works for everything or everyone. The world is constantly changing and so are we.

JakobsLadder: And the classical physicist recognizes this. Just as the artist returns again and again to the canvas to retouch the curtains, the door, the light, the physicist is never fully satisfied with the picture he is presented with. He accepts that the picture will have to be retouched again and again to make it simpler, more coherent, more complete.

writeITdown: That’s the problem. Everyone is more than accepting of change so long as that change is still within the respected realm of thought. It’s the collaborative evolution that the world is lacking.

Megalopteryous: Take this trip we are on for example. Throughout our journey we have been confronted with issues that challenge our political, social, spiritual, and moral view points. We have been bombarded with ideas that have begun to break down the rigid walls we place around ourselves—the walls that protect us from issues that challenge the way in which we think and live. If we are not willing to allow ourselves to embrace the differences we cannot expect to change.

TexasRaisaN: With a constantly changing world, it is only fitting that we change with it. Without an open mind and willingness to accept change, the understandings of our world will be extremely limited.

Kaitums3.14: On this trip we’ve already experienced so much proof of a changing world! We’ve seen the devastating effect of humans on the environment causing the earth’s biology to adapt and change. Not only do we need an open mind to accept change, but we need it to see the differences in the various locations we’ve visited and from home. We’ve all stepped past our comfort levels and opened our eyes to see the world before us on this trip. As we near the end of our journey, we anticipate that our comfort levels will be pushed even further, and we're prepared to continue to learn more about the world, our impact upon it, and ourselves.



Jumping in the desert of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Photo: Seth Ostheimer

The characters of Alexander von Humboldt and Gauss are courtesy of Daniel Kehlmann’s Measuring the World and Tomasina Ross’s edited translation of Personal Narrative of Travels to the Equinoctial Regions of America during the years 1799-1804 by Alexander von Humboldt and Aimé Bonpland. The character of Victor Jakob is courtesy of Russell McCormmach's Night Thoughts of a Classical Physicist. His dialogue is a compilation of this text and our own interpretation.

Katie Eppley, Raisa Janke, Leah Schaffer, Kayleigh Sopko and Megan Taylor
sopkokj at hiram.edu
Last Modified: 21 Apr 2008