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Five ideas in chemical education that must die

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.

Eric teaches and researches the History and Philosophy of Chemistry and is the founding editor of the journal Foundations of Chemistry and the author of several books with Oxford University Press. 
 

Location: Alcuin Block D, A/D/017