tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post4570768377861538347..comments2024-03-11T13:47:03.621-05:00Comments on Physics and Physicists: Scientific Reasoning Abilities of Nonscience Majors in Physics-Based CoursesZapperZhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15861398273820851809noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-48385035732553679052012-02-20T20:54:14.949-06:002012-02-20T20:54:14.949-06:00I have to agree with you, Garrett. I am presently ...I have to agree with you, Garrett. I am presently going through an undergraduate degree in physics and, while some teachers have stressed the importance of doing problems on our own, few of them have actually pointed out the need to develop our analytical skills. <br /><br />On a personal note, however, I always though a physics degree forced you to <i>learn how to learn</i>; that is, forced you to do so many exercises that some capacity for abstraction is forced into you, in a way.<br /><br />Thanks for the link, Zz.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02861263851615781532noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34480619.post-50965245255012678082012-02-20T12:22:18.652-06:002012-02-20T12:22:18.652-06:00I would love to believe that simply taking introdu...I would love to believe that simply taking introductory courses in physics could help one's analytical abilities. However, having gone through the various levels of physics education (bachelors, masters and Ph.D.) in two countries (Ireland and France), I am, in hindsight, disappointed by the actual teaching of analytical skills on those courses. Although I implicitly learned how to be analytical, it was never truly explicitly taught to me or my classmates. I think it was always simply assumed by our lecturers that we would acquire those skills automatically. I unfortunately have to admit that it wasn't until after my Ph.D. that I truly began to learn about the scientific method when I began to be exposed to the works of Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Carl Sagan, Richard Feynman, and others.<br />So my point is, yes, physics courses can help improve analytical skills but I think those courses need to explicitly teach those skills and not just assume that exposure to Newton's laws will accomplish the task. <br />Nice blog by the way ;)Garrett Curleyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02579130144987481839noreply@blogger.com