2 The Meaning of Understanding
37
In Sect. 2.4, we saw that the less formal approach of pattern matching may
provide us with a different kind of understanding. If Fig. 2.4 does indeed
represent a true growth “law” for the animal kingdom, we can expect it to
be valid also for animals (e.g. dogs, cats, lions, etc.) not included in Fig. 2.4.
Otherwise Fig. 2.4 is little more than a collection of curious coincidences. As
is always the case in science, further observation remains the final arbiter.
So, while it is true that the bottom-up approach lies at the core of physics,
and will always remain the bedrock on which physical understanding is built,
in some circumstances the complexity of nature forces physicists (and other
scientists) to countenance a less formal, top-down, methodology. In the next
chapter, we will explore some of these ideas further.
References
1. Golding W (1955) The inheritors. Faber and Faber, London
2. Calvin W, The ascent of mind: ice age climates and the evolution of intelligence
(originally published by Bantam Books, 1991, 2000)
3. https://australianmuseum.net.au/the-spread-of-people-to-australia. Accessed 10
May 2020
4. Wells S (2000) The journey of man: a genetic Odyssey. Penguin
5. Sternberg RJ, nd Grigorenko E (eds) (1997) Intelligence, heredity and environment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
6. Gardner H (1983) Frames of mind; the theory of multiple intelligences. Basic
Books
7. Stam JH (1976) Inquiries into the origins of language. Harper and Row, New
York, p 255
8. Hoffman P (1999) The man who loved only numbers: the story of Paul Erdos
and the search for mathematical truth. Hachette Books
9. West GB et al (2001) A general model for ontogenetic growth. Nature 413:628
37
In Sect. 2.4, we saw that the less formal approach of pattern matching may
provide us with a different kind of understanding. If Fig. 2.4 does indeed
represent a true growth “law” for the animal kingdom, we can expect it to
be valid also for animals (e.g. dogs, cats, lions, etc.) not included in Fig. 2.4.
Otherwise Fig. 2.4 is little more than a collection of curious coincidences. As
is always the case in science, further observation remains the final arbiter.
So, while it is true that the bottom-up approach lies at the core of physics,
and will always remain the bedrock on which physical understanding is built,
in some circumstances the complexity of nature forces physicists (and other
scientists) to countenance a less formal, top-down, methodology. In the next
chapter, we will explore some of these ideas further.
References
1. Golding W (1955) The inheritors. Faber and Faber, London
2. Calvin W, The ascent of mind: ice age climates and the evolution of intelligence
(originally published by Bantam Books, 1991, 2000)
3. https://australianmuseum.net.au/the-spread-of-people-to-australia. Accessed 10
May 2020
4. Wells S (2000) The journey of man: a genetic Odyssey. Penguin
5. Sternberg RJ, nd Grigorenko E (eds) (1997) Intelligence, heredity and environment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
6. Gardner H (1983) Frames of mind; the theory of multiple intelligences. Basic
Books
7. Stam JH (1976) Inquiries into the origins of language. Harper and Row, New
York, p 255
8. Hoffman P (1999) The man who loved only numbers: the story of Paul Erdos
and the search for mathematical truth. Hachette Books
9. West GB et al (2001) A general model for ontogenetic growth. Nature 413:628