Relativity/Evolution

Week 4 – Discussion 1

Your initial discussion thread is due on Day 3 (Thursday) and you have until Day 7 (Monday) to respond to your classmates. Your grade will reflect both the quality of your initial post and the depth of your responses. Reference the Discussion Forum Grading Rubric for guidance on how your discussion will be evaluated.

Einstein’s Theory of Relativity, and Heisenberg’s later ideas considering uncertainty, led to a fundamentally new era in physics in which empirical science was supplemented with theoretical practice. The shift in scientific methodologies had a profound effect on Western culture, especially when coupled with the modernist movement in literature, the development of impressionist and cubist forms of art, the carnage of World War One, and Sigmund Freud’s work in psychoanalysis and on the subconscious. It seemed as though to many universal truths were being undermined.

Contrast the cultural reaction to quantum physics in the United States and Europe with the earlier reaction to Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection. In your opinion, which had a larger cultural effect? Why?

Your initial post should be at least 250 words in length. Support your opinion with evidence from this week’s and last week’s readings. Properly cite any references. By Day 7, respond to at least two of your classmates, at least one of whom came to a different conclusion than you did, as well as one of your instructor’s posts.