Bard College at Simon's Rock: the Early College

Lecture: The Science of De Rerum Natura

Wednesday, February 26, 2020

Lecture Center


Join us for a lecture with Eric Kramer, professor of Physics at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, entitled “The Science of De Rerum Natura: Then and Now.” The talk is presented as part of the Spring 2020 History and Philosophy of Science Lecture Series.

De Rerum Natura (On the Nature of Things) is a Latin poem composed by the Roman philosopher Lucretius more than 2000 years ago. In it, he lays out a vision of a universe of unbreakable atoms zipping around an otherwise empty void. His work was remarkably prescient, including substantially correct guesses about atomic physics, thermodynamics, and evolution. Physicist Eric Kramer will review what Lucretius got right, and what he got wildly wrong.

About the speaker:

Dr. Eric Kramer has published more than 30 scientific papers, many with student co-authors, and received research grants from the NIH, NSF, and USDA. Before coming to Simon’s Rock, Dr. Kramer was a postdoctoral fellow at Brandeis University. He has served as a visiting scholar at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and the University of Nottingham, UK. Dr. Kramer has been teaching at Simon's Rock since 1999.

The lecture will run for one hour, followed by up to 30 minutes for a Q&A, and is free and open to the public.

 

Cost: Free

Contact:
Website: Click to Visit

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