Is Scientific Knowledge Just Common Sense? A Look at Hawking's Universe

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The discussion centers on the episode of Naked Science titled "Hawking's Universe," which explores Stephen Hawking's theories on the universe's origin. The episode features interviews with Hawking, who faced significant challenges due to his diagnosis of Lou Gehrig's disease at a young age. The conversation shifts to a humorous critique of how people often confuse or mislabel professions, with references to astrologers and cosmetologists in a light-hearted manner. Participants reflect on the nature of knowledge and the importance of language in conveying scientific concepts, citing Karl Popper's ideas on the relationship between scientific and common-sense knowledge. The dialogue highlights a blend of humor and philosophical insight regarding the perception of expertise and the evolution of language in society.
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Tonight's episode of Naked Science on the National Geographic Channel.

Naked Science: Hawking's Universe: Exploring Stephen Hawking's groundbreaking theories about the origin of the universe. The hour includes interviews with the legendary physician, who was diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease at the age of 21.
 
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LOL! It took me a while to figure out what you were talking about with the thread title, then I got to the last line. :smile: It's better than calling him a psychic at least. :wink:
 
Evo said:
interviews with the legendary physician...

...noted astrologers and cosmetologists, as well.
 
Ivan Seeking said:
...noted astrologers and cosmetologists, as well.
:smile: I remember when I was young, eons ago, I mentioned to someone that I was interested in cosmology. Their reply, "Oh, my sister is a hairdresser!".
 
i think physicians were actually called physics, once.
 
Ah I was going to join you guys in a hearty laughter there, but then I caught myself in some snobbism moment and realized.. we are laughing at people's mistakes, stupidity, or just ignorance in most cases. Which brings me to my other point, and that is.. I'm not sure we get to laugh at it at all
 
I see 'skills, crafts and trades' ads for cosmetologists and nail technicians frequently. Words don't mean much anymore. Karl Popper hinted around this in the first few pages of The Logic of Scientific Discovery. My notes from the page,
Scientific knowledge is a development of common-sense knowledge is a formulation in ordinary language and invisible to those confining themselves to the ordinary and common-sensical.
 

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