HAPP LECTURE: Scientific Thinking Across the Centuries and the Foundations of Physics

Renowned theoretical physicist and bestselling author Professor Carlo Rovelli will examine the history of scientific thinking from Aristotle in antiquity to the present day and how this has shaped the development of modern physics. Professor Rovelli will discuss the commonly misunderstood relation between Aristotelian and Newtonian physics. He will also consider whether the radical revolutions in physics during the early 20th century have led scientists and philosophers to focus on the discontinuities and incommensurability between theories and how this might have a damaging effect on scientific practice.