Laura Snyder: The Philosophical Breakfast Club

Translator: Joseph Geni Reviewer: Morton Bast

Prevoditelj: Maja Budišin Lukin Recezent: Mladen Barešić

I'd like you to come back with me for a moment

Željela bih da se za trenutak sa mnom vratite

to the 19th century,

u 19. stoljeće,

specifically to June 24, 1833.

točnije u 24. lipnja 1833.

The British Association for the Advancement of Science

Britanska udruga za promicanje znanosti,

is holding its third meeting at the University of Cambridge.

održava svoj treći sastanak na Sveučilištu Cambridge.

It's the first night of the meeting,

Prva je večer sastanka,

and a confrontation is about to take place

i uskoro će započeti sraz

that will change science forever.

koji će zauvijek izmijeniti znanost.

An elderly, white-haired man stands up.

Postariji, sijedi čovjek ustaje...

The members of the Association are shocked to realize

Članovi Udruge zatečeni su, jer uviđaju

that it's the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge,

da je to pjesnik, Samuel Taylor Coleridge,

who hadn't even left his house in years until that day.

koji do toga dana godinama nije napustio svoju kuću.

They're even more shocked by what he says.

Još više su zatečeni njegovim riječima:

"You must stop calling yourselves natural philosophers."

"Morate prestati sebe nazivati prirodoslovnim filozofima!"

Coleridge felt that true philosophers like himself

Coleridge je smatrao da pravi filozofi, poput njega,

pondered the cosmos from their armchairs.

proučavaju svemir iz svojih naslonjača.

They were not mucking around in the fossil pits

Oni ne gube vrijeme tražeći okamine po jamama,

or conducting messy experiments with electrical piles

niti provode zbrkane pokuse s elektrokemijskim baterijama,

like the members of the British Association.

kao što to čine članovi Britanske udruge.

The crowd grew angry and began to complain loudly.

Publika se razljutila, glasno negodujući.

A young Cambridge scholar named William Whewell stood up

Mladi učenjak s Cambridgea, William Whewell, ustao je

and quieted the audience.

i utišao publiku.

He politely agreed that an appropriate name

Uljudno se složio da prikladno ime

for the members of the association did not exist.

za članove Udruge - nije postojalo.

"If 'philosophers' is taken to be too wide and lofty a term,"

"Ako je 'filozof' suviše širok i uzvišen termin,"

he said, "then, by analogy with 'artist,'

rekao je, "onda, analogno 'umjetniku',

we may form 'scientist.'"

možemo stvoriti - 'znanstvenika'."

This was the first time the word scientist

Bio je to prvi put da je riječ 'znanstvenik'

was uttered in public,

izgovorena u javnosti;

only 179 years ago.

prije samo 179 godina.

I first found out about this confrontation when I was in graduate school,

Prvi sam put saznala za ovu raspravu dok sam bila u srednjoj školi,

and it kind of blew me away.

i silno me se dojmila.

I mean, how could the word scientist

Hoću reći, kako to da riječ 'znanstvenik'

not have existed until 1833?

nije do 1833. uopće postojala?!

What were scientists called before?

Kako su znanstvenike nazivali prije toga?

What had changed to make a new name necessary

Što se promijenilo da je novo ime bilo potrebno

precisely at that moment?

upravo u tom trenutku?

Prior to this meeting, those who studied the natural world

Do toga sastanka, ljudi koji su proučavali prirodu

were talented amateurs.

bili su daroviti amateri.

Think of the country clergyman or squire

Zamislite seoskog župnika ili zemljoposjednika

collecting his beetles or fossils,

kako prikuplja kukce ili fosile...

like Charles Darwin, for example,

Poput Charlesa Darwina, primjerice!

or, the hired help of a nobleman, like Joseph Priestley,

Ili unajmljenu pomoć aristokrata, poput Josepha Priestleya

who was the literary companion

koji je bio literarni suputnik

to the Marquis of Lansdowne

markiza od Lansdownea

when he discovered oxygen.

u doba kad je otkrio kisik.

After this, they were scientists,

Nakon sastanka, oni su bili 'znanstvenici',

professionals with a particular scientific method,

stručnjaci koji raspolažu određenom znanstvenom metodom,

goals, societies and funding.

ciljevima, društvima i izvorima financiranja.

Much of this revolution can be traced to four men

Veći dio ove revolucije može se pripisati četvorici muškaraca

who met at Cambridge University in 1812:

koji su se susrelii na Sveučilištu Cambridge 1812.:

Charles Babbage, John Herschel, Richard Jones and William Whewell.

Charlesu Babbageu, Johnu Herschelu, Richardu Jonesu i Williamu Whewellu.

These were brilliant, driven men

Bili su to sjajni, ambiciozni ljudi

who accomplished amazing things.

koji su postigli čudesne stvari.

Charles Babbage, I think known to most TEDsters,

Charles Babbage, vjerujem, poznat većini TED-ovaca,

invented the first mechanical calculator

izumio je prvi mehanički kalkulator

and the first prototype of a modern computer.

i prvi prototip modernog računala.

John Herschel mapped the stars of the southern hemisphere,

John Herschel je prvi prikazao zviježđa južne hemisfere i,

and, in his spare time, co-invented photography.

u slobodno vrijeme, sudjelovao u izumu fotografije.

I'm sure we could all be that productive

Sigurna sam da bismo svi mogli biti tako produktivni

without Facebook or Twitter to take up our time.

bez Facebooka ili Twittera, koji nam oduzimaju vrijeme.

Richard Jones became an important economist

Richard Jones je postao značajan ekonomist

who later influenced Karl Marx.

koji je kasnije utjecao na Karla Marxa.

And Whewell not only coined the term scientist,

A Whewell nije samo skovao termin znanstvenik

as well as the words anode, cathode and ion,

kao i riječi anoda,katoda ili ion

but spearheaded international big science

već je i predvodio svjetsku znanost

with his global research on the tides.

svojim globalnim istraživanjem morskih mijena.

In the Cambridge winter of 1812 and 1813,

Zimi 1812. i 1813., u Cambridgeu,

the four met for what they called philosophical breakfasts.

ova četvorica su se susrela na tzv. filozofskim doručcima.

They talked about science

Razgovarali su o znanosti

and the need for a new scientific revolution.

i o potrebi za novom znanstvenom revolucijom.

They felt science had stagnated

Smatrali su da znanost stagnira

since the days of the scientific revolution that had happened

još od vremena znanstvene revolucije

in the 17th century.

koja se zbila u 17. stoljeću.

It was time for a new revolution,

Bilo je vrijeme za novu revoluciju

which they pledged to bring about,

koju su se oni zavjetovali pokrenuti.

and what's so amazing about these guys is,

Zadivljujuće je da oni

not only did they have these

nisu ostali samo na ovim

grandiose undergraduate dreams,

grandioznim dodiplomskim snovima,

but they actually carried them out,

već su ih i proveli,

even beyond their wildest dreams.

čak i više no što su mogli i zamisliti.

And I'm going to tell you today

Danas ću vam govoriti

about four major changes to science these men made.

o četiri najznačajnije promjene koje su ovi ljudi unijeli u znanost...

About 200 years before,

Prije 200-tinjak godina,

Francis Bacon and then, later, Isaac Newton,

Francis Bacon, a kasnije i Isaac Newton,

had proposed an inductive scientific method.

predložili su induktivnu znanstvenu metodu.

Now that's a method that starts from

Ta metoda započinje s

observations and experiments

opažanjima i pokusima,

and moves to generalizations about nature called natural laws,

i nastavlja se poopćavanjima o prirodi, što nazivamo prirodnim zakonima,

which are always subject to revision or rejection

koji su uvijek podložni reviziji ili odbacivanju

should new evidence arise.

ako se pojavi nov dokaz.

However, in 1809, David Ricardo muddied the waters

Međutim, 1809. je David Ricardo zamutio vodu

by arguing that the science of economics

tvrdeći da bi ekonomska znanost

should use a different, deductive method.

trebala koristiti drugačiju, deduktivnu metodu.

The problem was that an influential group at Oxford

Problem je bio u tome što je utjecajna skupina na Oxfordu

began arguing that because it worked so well in economics,

tvrdila da, zbog dobrog djelovanja u ekonomiji,

this deductive method ought to be applied

deduktivnu metodu treba primijeniti

to the natural sciences too.

i u prirodoslovnim znanostima.

The members of the philosophical breakfast club disagreed.

Članovi Kluba filozofskog doručka nisu se s time složili.

They wrote books and articles promoting inductive method

Pisali su knjige i članke promovirajući induktivnu metodu

in all the sciences

u svim znanostima,

that were widely read by natural philosophers,

što su masovno čitali prirodoslovni filozofi,

university students and members of the public.

studenti i građani.

Reading one of Herschel's books

Čitanje jedne od Herschelovih knjiga

was such a watershed moment for Charles Darwin

bilo je toliko prijelomno za Charlesa Darwina

that he would later say, "Scarcely anything in my life

da je on kasnije rekao: "Rijetko je što u mom životu

made so deep an impression on me.

ostavilo toliko dubok dojam na mene.

It made me wish to add my might

Poželio sam svoju moć pridodati

to the accumulated store of natural knowledge."

svemu tom nagomilanom znanju o prirodi."

It also shaped Darwin's scientific method,

Utjecalo je i na oblikovanje Darwinove znanstvene metode,

as well as that used by his peers.

kao i na metode koje su koristili njegovi kolege.

[Science for the public good]

[Znanost za opće dobro]

Previously, it was believed that scientific knowledge

Prije toga, vjerovalo se da se znanstvena spoznaja

ought to be used for the good of the king or queen,

treba koristiti za dobrobit kralja ili kraljice,

or for one's own personal gain.

ili za vlastiti osobni probitak.

For example, ship captains needed to know

Primjerice, brodski kapetani trebali su poznavati

information about the tides in order to safely dock at ports.

morske mijene kako bi se sigurno usidrili u lukama.

Harbormasters would gather this knowledge

Lučki piloti prikupljali bi ta znanja

and sell it to the ship captains.

i prodavali ih kapetanima brodova.

The philosophical breakfast club changed that,

Klub filozofskog doručka to je promijenio,

working together.

zajedničkim snagama.

Whewell's worldwide study of the tides

Whewellova svjetska studija morskih mijena

resulted in public tide tables and tidal maps

rezultirala je javnim tablicama i kartama morskih mijena,

that freely provided the harbormasters' knowledge

na temelju kojih su znanja lučkih pilota

to all ship captains.

postala dostupna kapetanima brodova.

Herschel helped by making tidal observations

Herschel je pripomogao opažanjem morskih mijena

off the coast of South Africa,

s obale Južne Afrike i,

and, as he complained to Whewell,

kako se požalio Whewellu,

he was knocked off the docks during a violent high tide for his trouble.

za hvalu ga je silovita plima zbacila s doka.

The four men really helped each other in every way.

Četvorica su uistinu međusobno surađivali u svakom pogledu.

They also relentlessly lobbied the British government

Također, neumorno su lobirali kod britanske vlade

for the money to build Babbage's engines

radi novca kojim bi izradili Babbageove strojeve,

because they believed these engines

jer su vjerovali da će ti strojevi

would have a huge practical impact on society.

imati golem praktičan utjecaj na društvo.

In the days before pocket calculators,

U danima prije džepnih kalkulatora,

the numbers that most professionals needed --

brojevi potrebni većini stručnjaka -

bankers, insurance agents, ship captains, engineers —

bankarima, agentima osiguranja, brodskim kapetanima, inženjerima -

were to be found in lookup books like this,

mogli su se naći u preglednim knjigama poput ove,

filled with tables of figures.

ispunjenima tablicama s brojevima.

These tables were calculated

Ove su tablice izrađene

using a fixed procedure over and over

kroz standardni postupak, svaki put iznova,

by part-time workers known as -- and this is amazing -- computers,

što su činili honorarni radnici poznati kao - ovo je nevjerojatno - računala,

but these calculations were really difficult.

ali ti su izračuni bili doista zahtjevni.

I mean, this nautical almanac

U ovom nautičkom godišnjaku

published the lunar differences for every month of the year.

objavljivane su lunarne razlike za svaki mjesec u godini.

Each month required 1,365 calculations,

Za svaki je mjesec bilo potrebno 1365 izračuna,

so these tables were filled with mistakes.

pa su te tablice bile prepune pogrešaka.

Babbage's difference engine was the first mechanical calculator

Babbageov diferencijalni stroj bio je prvi mehanički kalkulator

devised to accurately compute any of these tables.

smišljen radi točnog izračunavanja bilo koje od tih tablica.

Two models of his engine were built in the last 20 years

U posljednjih 20 godina, tim iz Muzeja znanosti u Londonu

by a team from the Science Museum of London

izradio je dva modela ovog stroja,

using his own plans.

koristeći vlastite nacrte.

This is the one now at the Computer History Museum in California,

Ovaj je danas u Muzeju računalne povijesti u Kaliforniji.

and it calculates accurately. It actually works.

I točno izračunava. Doista radi.

Later, Babbage's analytical engine

Kasnije, Babbageov analitički stroj

was the first mechanical computer in the modern sense.

bio je prvo mehaničko računalo u suvremenom smislu.

It had a separate memory and central processor.

Imao je zasebnu memoriju i centralni procesor.

It was capable of iteration, conditional branching

Bio je sposoban provoditi iteracije, uvjetna grananja

and parallel processing,

i istodobno procesiranje,

and it was programmable using punched cards,

a moglo ga se programirati pomoću bušenih kartica,

an idea Babbage took from Jacquard's loom.

zamisli koju je Babbage preuzeo od Jacquardovog tkalačkog stana.

Tragically, Babbage's engines never were built in his day

Nažalost, Babbageovi strojevi nisu izrađeni za njegova života,

because most people thought that

jer je većina ljudi mislila da

non-human computers would have no usefulness

ne-ljudska računala neće ni na koji način

for the public.

koristiti građanima.

[New scientific institutions]

[Nove znanstvene institucije]

Founded in Bacon's time, the Royal Society of London

U Baconovo doba osnovano je Londonsko kraljevsko društvo,

was the foremost scientific society in England

najistaknutije znanstveno društvo u Engleskoj,

and even in the rest of the world.

pa čak i u ostatku svijeta.

By the 19th century, it had become

Do 19. stoljeća ono je preraslo

a kind of gentleman's club

u svojevrsni gospodski klub,

populated mainly by antiquarians, literary men and the nobility.

u kojemu su se uglavnom okupljali antikvari, učeni ljudi i plemstvo.

The members of the philosophical breakfast club

Članovi Kluba filozofskog doručka

helped form a number of new scientific societies,

pridonijeli su stvaranju novih znanstvenih društava,

including the British Association.

uključujući i Britansku udrugu.

These new societies required

Ova nova društva zahtijevala su

that members be active researchers publishing their results.

da članovi budu aktivni istraživači i objavljuju svoje rezultate.

They reinstated the tradition of the Q&A

Oživjeli su tradiciju rasprava kroz pitanja i odgovore

after scientific papers were read,

nakon što bi se pročitali znanstveni radovi,

which had been discontinued by the Royal Society

koju je Kraljevsko društvo bilo ukinulo

as being ungentlemanly.

kao nedžentlmensko.

And for the first time, they gave women a foot in the door of science.

I po prvi put, otvorili su ženama vrata znanosti.

Members were encouraged to bring their wives,

Članove su poticali da dovode svoje žene,

daughters and sisters to the meetings of the British Association,

kćeri i sestre na sastanke Britanske udruge,

and while the women were expected to attend

i dok se od žena očekivalo da prisustvuju

only the public lectures and the social events like this one,

samo javnim predavanjima i događanjima poput ovoga,

they began to infiltrate the scientific sessions as well.

one su se počele uključivati i u znanstvene sjednice.

The British Association would later be the first

Britanska će udruga kasnije biti prva

of the major national science organizations in the world

među glavnim nacionalnim znanstvenim organizacijama u svijetu,

to admit women as full members.

koja će žene priznati kao punopravne članice.

[External funding for science]

[Financiranje znanosti]

Up to the 19th century,

Do 19. stoljeća,

natural philosophers were expected to pay

od prirodoslovnih filozofa očekivalo se ​​da sami plaćaju

for their own equipment and supplies.

troškove svojih istraživanja.

Occasionally, there were prizes,

Povremeno, dodjeljivale su se nagrade,

such as that given to John Harrison in the 18th century,

poput one koju je dobio John Harrison u 18. stoljeću,

for solving the so-called longitude problem,

zbog rješavanja tzv. problema longitude,

but prizes were only given after the fact,

ali nagrade su dodjeljivane samo nakon pronalazaka,

when they were given at all.

kad su uopće dodjeljivane.

On the advice of the philosophical breakfast club,

Prema savjetu Kluba filozofskog doručka,

the British Association began to use the extra money

Britanska udruga počela je koristiti dodatne prihode

generated by its meetings to give grants

ostvarene kroz sastanke, za podupiranje

for research in astronomy, the tides, fossil fish,

istraživanja u astronomiji, istraživanja morskih mijena i ribljih okamina,

shipbuilding, and many other areas.

istraživanja u brodogradnji, i u mnogim drugim područjima.

These grants not only allowed

Ove su potpore ne samo dopuštale

less wealthy men to conduct research,

manje imućnim ljudima da istražuju,

but they also encouraged thinking outside the box,

već su poticale i mišljenje izvan ustaljenih okvira,

rather than just trying to solve one pre-set question.

umjesto tek nastojanja da se riješi neko unaprijed postavljeno pitanje.

Eventually, the Royal Society

Na koncu, Kraljevsko društvo

and the scientific societies of other countries followed suit,

i znanstvena društva iz drugih zemalja slijedila su taj primjer,

and this has become -- fortunately it's become --

i to je postalo - nasreću, postalo je -

a major part of the scientific landscape today.

glavnina današnjeg znanstvenog miljea.

So the philosophical breakfast club

Tako je Klub filozofskog doručka

helped invent the modern scientist.

pripomogao izumiti modernog znanstvenika.

That's the heroic part of their story.

To je junački dio priče o njima.

There's a flip side as well.

Postoji i njeno naličje.

They did not foresee at least one consequence

Nisu predvidjeli barem jednu posljedicu

of their revolution.

svoje revolucije.

They would have been deeply dismayed

Silno bi ih obeshrabrila

by today's disjunction between science and the rest of culture.

današnja razdvojenost znanosti i ostatka kulture.

It's shocking to realize

Zaprepašćujuće je uvidjeti

that only 28 percent of American adults

da svega 28% odraslih Amerikanaca

have even a very basic level of science literacy,

pokazuje barem elementarnu razinu znanstvene pismenosti,

and this was tested by asking simple questions like,

što je provjeravano jednostavnim pitanjima poput:

"Did humans and dinosaurs inhabit the Earth at the same time?"

"Jesu li ljudi i dinosauri istodobno nastanjivali Zemlju?", ili:

and "What proportion of the Earth is covered in water?"

"Koliki je dio Zemlje prekriven vodom?".

Once scientists became members of a professional group,

Jednom kad su znanstvenici postali pripadnici neke stručne skupine,

they were slowly walled off from the rest of us.

polako su se udaljavali od nas ostalih.

This is the unintended consequence of the revolution

Ovo je nenamjerna posljedica revolucije

that started with our four friends.

koja je započela s našom četvoricom prijatelja.

Charles Darwin said,

Charles Darwin je rekao:

"I sometimes think that general and popular treatises

"Ponekad mislim da su šire i pristupačnije rasprave

are almost as important for the progress of science

gotovo jednako važne za napredak znanosti

as original work."

kao i izvorno djelo."

In fact, "Origin of Species" was written

Zapravo, "Porijeklo vrsta" napisano je

for a general and popular audience,

za široku publiku,

and was widely read when it first appeared.

i bilo je vrlo čitano čim je objavljeno.

Darwin knew what we seem to have forgotten,

Darwin je znao ono što smo mi, čini se, zaboravili,

that science is not only for scientists.

da znanost nije samo za znanstvenike.

Thank you.

Hvala vam!

(Applause)

(Pljesak)