How did a thirteenth-century friar’s search for simplicity lead to the emergence of the modern world?
Johnjoe's latest book "Life is Simple" is available now: https://geni.us/johnjoemcfadden
Watch the Q&A: https://youtu.be/FO4mP9X5hu8
Johnjoe McFadden tells the story of the heretical friar William of Occam, who first articulated the principle that the best answer to any problem is the simplest. This theory, known as Occam’s razor, cut through the thickets of medieval metaphysics to clear a path for modern science.
Johnjoe McFadden was born in Donegal, Ireland but brought up in the UK. He obtained his PhD at Imperial College London and went on to work on human genetic diseases and then infectious diseases, at the University of Surrey in Guildford, UK. For more than a decade, Professor McFadden has specialised in examining the genetics of microbes such as the agents of tuberculosis and meningitis. He has published more than 100 articles in scientific journals on subjects as wide-ranging as bacterial genetics, tuberculosis, idiopathic diseases and computer modelling of evolution and has edited a book on the genetics of mycobacteria. He has lectured extensively in the UK, Europe, the USA and Japan and his work has been featured in radio, television and national newspaper articles. His present post is Professor of Molecular Genetics at the University of Surrey. He lives in London and is married with a young son.
This talk was filmed on 17 October 2021.
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0:00 Introduction
1:32 William of Ockham (1288 - 1347)
6:26 The Stars through day/night
8:36 Planets - the wandering stars
18:36 Disproving Aquinas' 5 'proofs'
24:15 Ptolemy's epicycle system
34:43 Simple laws and technology
36:32 Statistical mechanics unified macroscopic and microscopic realm
38:37 Symmetry = simplicity
40:01 How does Ockham's razor work?
43:59 Why is Ockham's razor useful?
51:28 Physical entities beyond necessity?