> But if you are > interested in the best current thinking about a subject, why should you care > how people thought about it 4 centuries ago? Do I really care about > Aristotelian physics, for example, if I want to know how the physical world > works? I would say, "No" what I really want to know is what the best current > physicist think.
I disagree with this, if you are, in addition to knowing about physics, trying to advance the state of physics. You need to know not only the best current thought, but also at least some of the worst deprecated thoughts, so that you don't use your shiny new tools to re-invent a rusty broken wheel. Also, it's sometimes good for a laugh. ~~James. ============================================================ FRIAM Applied Complexity Group listserv Meets Fridays 9a-11:30 at cafe at St. John's College lectures, archives, unsubscribe, maps at http://www.friam.org
