Episodes

  • Episode 0-Setting Out
    Oct 13 2014

    This is the beginning, the pushing off, the setting out.  It is here that the voyage commences and we set our sights on new horizons and far off vistas.

    This podcast is where I tell you what this whole thing's about: who your guide is, the vehicle we'll be traveling in and where we might be going.  It's a journey with a thousand or more steps and this is the first one.

    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
  • Episode 1.1-Science As Inquiry
    Oct 19 2014

    A discussion of why studying science is not only useful but necessary in today's world along with an explanation of inquiry and a brief tour of different fields and types of scientific research.

    Show More Show Less
    24 mins
  • Episode 1.2: Those Things Necessary
    Oct 26 2014

    A discussion of three attributes that characterize scientific inquiry and distinguish it from from other types of research.  This includes a discussion of of the three levels of information gathering and methods of scientific communication.

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Episode 1.3: What's The Big Idea?
    Nov 2 2014

    A discussion of the progress of scientific ideas from hypotheses to laws to theories.  What makes each one different from the others and how does an idea start as a hypothesis and end up as a theory.

    Show More Show Less
    30 mins
  • Episode 1.4: Tools of the Trade
    Nov 9 2014

    Tools and structures scientists use to move ideas forward and do scientific reasoning.  Models and organizing principles are discussed as is serendipity.  Basic reasoning structure is explained through deductive, inductive and abductive methods.

    Show More Show Less
    38 mins
  • Scientific Odyssey Unscripted: Thoughts on Rosetta
    Nov 12 2014

    Unscripted thoughts on the landing of the Philae probe on comet 67P.

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins
  • Episode 1.5: Misconceptions About Scientific Inquiry
    Nov 16 2014

    A discussion about some of the misconceptions people have about scientific inquiry and those who pursue it.  Topics include creativity in science, the moral obligation of science and scientism.

    Show More Show Less
    35 mins
  • Episode 2.1: The Philosophical Atom
    Nov 23 2014

    This podcast introduces a new series on the history of the atom and begins the discussion with the ideas of the earliest Greek philosophers beginning with Thales and culminating with the atomism of Democritus.

    Show More Show Less
    27 mins