Professor Sunetra Gupta on questioning lockdown | from Reality, models, and mayhem
0Michael Shermer, Sunetra Gupta and Bjørn Ekeberg discuss the relationship between scientific models and empirical reality.
What does it mean to "trust the science"? Do mathematical models resemble the real world? Should we expect them to?
Watch the full debate at https://iai.tv/video/reality-models-and-mayhem?utm_source=YouTube&utm_medium=description
In the last 100 years, some of the greatest minds - from the founders of quantum mechanics such as Heisenberg and Planck to Hawking - have moved away from thinking science can capture an objective ultimate reality. And yet from dark matter to string theory, we still look for the correct answer, sure that the next theory might be the one. Is this a fundamental mistake? Hawking in his final book certainly concluded it was, saying 'There is no unique picture of reality', but rather that each competing model frames its own version of reality.Should we give up on a single true account and accept that there are many alternative scientific accounts of the world, each with their own effectiveness? Would this enable a greater plurality of theories and enable faster technical advance? Or does an account of science as mere models risk encouraging the pursuit of empty alternatives with no way to choose between them, threatening the whole edifice of science itself?
#covid19 #immunology #antilockdown
Pioneering philosopher of science Bjørn Ekeberg, pre-eminent sceptic Michael Shermer, and Professor of Theoretical Epidemiology at the University of Oxford Sunetra Gupta debate whether science can ever achieve an objective model of ultimate reality.
00:00 Doxa
00:17 Two models
02:51 Epidemology vs physics
04:10 The comparative method
04:45 Was there a lab leak?
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