Physics and social change
OCT 01, 1971
Our science grows by correcting faulty theories, not by idolizing them. Society, in the same way, should see its present customs as jumping‐off points, not as fixed institutions.
DOI: 10.1063/1.3022381
We are a society in transition. Nearly all of our values and institutions appear to be shifting around us. Can physics help us understand the transition? The answer for me is clearly—yes. There is something unique in the history and philosophy of science, particularly physics, among all aspects of human culture. Physics welcomes change and knows how to use it. Certainly the experience of physics should help us to understand the nature of the transition we now face and to direct it for Man’s benefit.
More about the Authors
George E. Brown. Management Consultant, Los Angeles, California.
© 1971. American Institute of Physics
