[Recording Start]
Rick Rosner: I’ve considered the remarkable achievements by amateurs in science.
Scott Douglas Jacobsen: What about accidental triumphs in science?
Rosner: Well, there’s the guy who developed plate tectonics, and there are many examples where the threshold for amateurism seems lower. There’s a certain charm in amateurism, like in folk art. People appreciate work done by those who haven’t formally studied art or learned techniques like perspective. My daughter is involved in art, particularly focusing on the distinction between art and craft. She explores women’s art, needlework, and domestic arts. Historically, there was a time when an influential figure declared that only painting and sculpture qualified as visual arts, relegating everything else to the realm of craft. This distinction is increasingly challenged by a more progressive art establishment.
The value judgments in art are complex. For example, my daughter has worked with the Gee’s Bend Quilters from Louisiana, a community known for their quilting. They are professionals in their craft, yet there’s debate over whether quilting can be compared to high art like Rodin or Michelangelo’s David. These judgments can either elevate or diminish the perceived value of creative work.
In the sciences, the landscape is quite different. Mainstream science, with its deep mathematical foundations, leaves little room for creative amateurism. Contributions to fields like physics, chemistry, and biology usually require proficiency in the language of mathematics and a deep understanding of the field’s history and current state. However, there have been lucky discoveries by amateurs. In mathematics and physics, there are instances where amateurs have made significant findings, some of which are not minor. For example, Évariste Galois made groundbreaking contributions to group theory at the age of 20 before tragically dying in a duel. In the sciences, you’re contending with a well-established and structured knowledge base, so there’s less room for serendipity. Nevertheless, nature can still provide happy accidents, like the discovery of penicillin from moldy bread.
[Recording End]
Authors
Rick Rosner
American Television Writer
Scott Douglas Jacobsen
Founder, In-Sight Publishing
In-Sight Publishing
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In-Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License. Based on a work at http://www.rickrosner.org.
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Rick Rosner 