Ep 51: How Science and Philosophy Intertwine - The Work

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In this episode of We Love Science, Fatu and Shekerah explore a world that few modern-day scientists have explored, the intersection of science and philosophy. Today we are speaking with Dr. Richard Summers, a theoretical biologist and emeritus professor at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. His career spans from chairman of the Department of Emergency Medicine to vice chancellor for research. Richard has also led cutting-edge research to understand how the human body responds to zero-gravity environments, and has even worked directly with NASA. Throughout his career, between his lab research and academic leadership positions, Richard has co-authored more than 300 publications and books.
His most recent book is “Science as Natural Philosophy and Finding Our Place in the Universe”. This book explores the rich history of the origins of science as a way of creating our worldview and understanding our place, as humans, in the world–natural philosophy, as it used to be called. The origin story of science is not only about how we as humans observe and experience the world; interestingly, it can also be deeply influenced by religious perspectives, especially during times in history when religious authorities strongly influenced what was accepted in broader society.
“We think of science, philosophy, and religion as being completely separate and conflicting schools of thought. My book connects the dots between the scientific perspective and those of philosophy and religion–on a broad scale,” explains Richard. An overarching theme of all three is to have a better experience and understanding of our world. When it comes to writing, Richard believes that good writing just has to flow, and this means writing can be slow, arduous, and often frustrating. However, this also means that it’s important to sit and try every day. Listen to the episode to learn more about Richard’s work and his book.
Tune in to hear Richard explain:

• The evolution of science from observation to experimentation
• What it means to think of science as a natural philosophy
• The surprising interconnectedness between science, philosophy, and religion
• The strong Mississippi tradition of Storytelling
• What it takes to write a good book about science

You can find Richard’s latest book here:

Science as Natural Philosophy and Finding Our Place in the Universe

Reach out to Richard: [e-mail]

If you enjoyed this episode, also be sure to check out:

• Ep 8: The Pen is Mightier than the Pipette: The Work
• Ep 23: The Accidental Discovery of Penicillin

Reach out to Fatu:
www.linkedin.com/in/fatubm
Twitter: @thee_fatu_b
and [e-mail]

Reach out to Shekerah:
www.linkedin.com/in/shekerah-primus
and [e-mail]

Music from Pixabay: Future Artificial Intelligence Technology 130 by TimMoor
Music from https://freemusicarchive.org/music/Scott_Holmes: Hotshot by ScottHolmesMusic

Chapters

1. Ep 51: How Science and Philosophy Intertwine - The Work (00:00:00)

2. Food Science Warm-up - Describe a new dish or dessert (00:01:41)

3. Guest Introduction (00:07:33)

4. What is Science as Natural Philosophy? (00:09:12)

5. Science from a 3rd person objective approach versus a 1st person point of view (00:16:05)

6. What can people expect to learn from reading your book? (00:18:30)

7. What's one thing you learned that you thought was fascinating? (00:19:44)

8. What do you love about writing? (00:25:43)

9. What do you find most challenging about writing? (00:27:24)

10. What advice would you give to someone interested in writing a book about science? (00:31:46)

11. Hosts on the Hot Seat! - Science as Natural Philosophy mini quiz (00:32:55)

12. How to reach the author and purchase the book (00:36:38)