Friday 20 July 2018, 12.00PM to 1.00pm
Speaker(s): Professor Eric Scerri, from the University of California, Los Angeles
The title was inspired by a recent book entitled, This Idea Must Die, in which 175 leading thinkers expound on ideas, theories and concepts which they believe to be unproductive and which in their view should be retired.Quite remarkably, there is not a single chemist among the assembled cast of authors, thus further reinforcing the common misconception that chemistry lacks any philosophical substance or profound intellectual content. As somebody who has spent a career in attempting to promote the philosophical aspects of chemistry and the value of taking a more reflective view in chemical education, I feel compelled to make up for the deficit in the cited book. I will discuss what I consider to be five obstructive and confused ideas that continue to exist among chemical educators and authors of chemistry textbooks.
Location: Alcuin Block D, A/D/017