College talk and new book feature research of Yukon philosopher

WHITEHORSE – What can we learn about our reality just by thinking?

Revolutionary ideas in fields as diverse as physics, ethics, literature and economics all have something in common. Many of them are born in the “laboratory of the mind” using thought experiments or hypothetical scenarios. 

Einstein, for example, relates how imagining himself racing a beam of light helped him discover the theory of relativity. Other famous examples explore questions of morality or identity. A hidden bomb will go off when the timer strikes zero, do you resort to torturing the man who knows where it is? If every plank and part of a ship is replaced as it ages until no original part exists, is it still the same ship? The range of answers might surprise you.

On Tuesday March 19th, philosopher Mark Shumelda will explore a variety of thought experiments - how they work and what they teach us - at a brown bag lunch talk at Yukon College.

“This is a fun and interactive area of philosophy that is easy for people to engage with,” said Shumelda, a Ph. D candidate with the University of Toronto and instructor at Yukon College. “Each of us is engaging in a thought experiment whenever we have a choice to make and we allow our mind to think ahead to the consequences of each possible path.”

Yet despite the prevalence of thought experiments throughout history, there is disagreement by modern philosophers on the value of their contribution to human knowledge. Detractors suggest it is nothing more than daydreaming. Supporters claim it is visualization with very specific details and values, which can lead to discovery.

Shumelda’s own research, using thought experiments to explore the incompatibility of quantum physics and Einstein’s theory of relativity, is now included in a new book, Thought Experiments in Science, Philosophy, and the Arts, published by Routledge in 2012.

This book is the result of a 2010 conference at Dalhousie University, Halifax that explored a range of contemporary thinking about thought experiments, including how to define them, their value, as well as fresh examinations of famous thought experiments and the suggestion that in the days of computer modeling, thought experiments may no longer be necessary.

Nevertheless, Shumelda remains a firm believer in the power and possibility contained within the “laboratory of the mind”.

“I believe in the power of the mind to bring about change. It’s empowering to know that, even without access to dollars or huge resources, a person can begin to think their way through complex scientific and philosophical problems.”

The talk runs from 12-1 p.m. Tuesday March 19 in room A2103 at Yukon College. The book can be purchased at www.routledge.com and www.amazon.ca/.

-30-

For more information, contact:

Michael Vernon
Communications Coordinator
College Relations
Yukon College
867.668.8786
867.332.4722
mvernon@yukoncollege.yk.ca

Jacqueline Bedard
Director
College Relations
Yukon College
867.456.8619
jbedard@yukoncollege.yk.ca