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Opening remarks
Int. J. Engng Sci. Vol. 3, pp. 247-249. Pergamon Press 1965. Printed in Great Britain
OPENING REMARKS by A. C. Eringen, President of the Society of Engineering Science THE BASICPHILOSOPHYunderlying the natural sciences in Pre-Copernican times is that of Aristotle, whose philosophy ruled the scientific world in its various distorted forms. According to this philosophy, all physical phenomena are referred to final causes. Unseen hands of a spiritual mover are constantly at work, and 'sublime intelligences' keep the motion going. Bodies are endowed with souls and aspirations with a preference for certain kinds of motions. Thus, matter possesses mystical qualities. In the 14th century, Nicholas of Oresme went further in this unification by saying that God started off the universe, a kind of clock, and left it to run by itself. It took several centuries of inquisitions, revelations and scientific, religious and metaphysical wars involving Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes and others to change this unified religious, metaphysical approach to science. With Kepler, Descartes and Newton, the observation of the external world and the supreme importance of mathematics in the study of natural phenomena were established. Thus began the mechanical or natural philosophy which is summarized in the famous slatement of Laplace: "An intelligence which, for a given instant, knew all the forces by which nature is animated and the respective position of the being which compose it, and which besides are large enough to submit these data to analysis, would embrace in the same formula the motions of the largest bodies of the universe and those of the lightest atom; nothing would be uncertain to it, and the future as well as the past would be present to its eyes. Human mind offers a feeble sketch of this intelligence in the perfection which it has been able to give to Astronomy." With the discovery of quantum mechanics, this deterministic and, in a way, fatalistic philosophy of sciences was challenged. In addition, during the span of three centuries, engineering and scientific developments forced the philosopher to abandon the grandiose plan of unified approach as a matter of practical convenience. The time required to master a particular area of science and engineering has become comparable to a man's creative lifespan. Thus, specialization became a necessary evil for the achievement of any result. Each subject has now so proliferated that the learner, in order to climb to the finer extremities, has quickly clambered over the other branches, often without seeing the main body and without developing an adequate rooting in the fundamentals Recent advances in engineering require heavy demands and allow extremely small tolerances in the utilization of materials. This then forces the scientist into the re-examination of older theories and in the careful consideration of nonlinear effects in the evolution of the physical phenomena involved. The traditional divisions of studies are fast becoming obsolete. No longer are mechanical, electrical, thermal and chemical phenomena separable. In the understanding of ionized gases, hot and cold plasmas, in the mechanics of solids and fluids subject to violent environmental effects, and in the study of chemically reacting media, knowledge from the entire body of science is required. 247
248
A.C. ERINOEN
The Indian folklore of the seven blind men and an elephant is well-known. Each blind man was allowed to touch a part of the elephant, and from this experience, he was asked to describe what he thinks the elephant looked like. The one who examined a leg concluded that the elephant resembled a log; the one who touched the tail said it was a broom; one thought it was a wall, and another said it was a s h o v e l . . . All these expert findings certainly contains some correct information, however far they are from the total picture. Had the blind men (the investigators) been permitted to communicate with one another, surely the overall conclusions would have been much closer to the truth. While we may not have the optimism of Bertrand Russell who said,".., it is not chimerical to hope that a unified treatment of the whole physics may be possible before many years have passed", we are faced with a great need for collaborative work among scientists and engineers not only for the sake of scientific wealth, but also because of the engineering urgency. It is not implied here that we should bring back the unification imbedded into the faith of medieval philosophers nor the mechanistic determinism of Descartes and Laplace. Hope for the composition of a unified science for a relativistically constructed human mind is perhaps an unattainable absolute. Rather, the plan is to feed the root system of various branches of the tree of physical sciences for a better harvest, if not complete transmutation. The Society of Engineering Science is not an attempt to eliminate specialization. Rather, it is the result of a long-standing need: (a) to facilitate the communication among insular experts; (b) to provide a warm milieu where the exchange of ideas would take place among various types of engineers and scientists. Not only do engineers need the help of scientists and mathematicians for guidance in their work, but scientists and mathematicians will also benefit a great deal in locating lively pure problems worthy of their attention. For, nature is extremely wealthy in such problems and engineers are trying constantly to uncover them, even if they do so in a manner at times disapproved by the 'purists'. (c) to encourage and accelerate interdisciplinary research. The historical incisions made on the whole body of science to facilitate learning has by the same token destroyed the most interesting and vital organs. Amputation of an arm, a leg or an ear, to simplify their study, cannot provide much more than the structure of bones and dead tissues. The interrelations and coupling of these elements with the body and the life process are lost in this incision and cannot be replaced or understood after such a dissection. Separation of electrical and mechanical sciences not only eliminates the most intriguing electromechanical phenomena, such as magnetohydrodynamics, electrostriction, piezoelectric effects, solid and fluid plasmas, but also makes the fundamental understanding of moving media theory, solid state physics and nuclear phenomena clouded and inexplicable in more complete form. Today marks the inauguration of a new society, the Society of Engineering Science. It is a child born to Science and Engineering. It possesses the purity and beauty of its mother, Science, and the practicality and strength of its father, Engineering. The child has great promise for the future. However, it must be loved, nourished, educated and properly brought up. This responsibility now rests upon all of us.
Opening Remarks
249
It is indeed heartening that the announcement of this birth has been well-received in all segments of the country. Many outstanding scientists, government officials, educators and engineers have sent warm congratulatory messages. Time will not allow me to enumerate the long list of well-wishers. It might, however, be worth mentioning that the membership list, which as of yesterday stood at 257, included a wide spectrum of engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians. It is hoped that shortly this list will include biologists and social scientists as well. The founding members represent some 12 government offices, 40 private industries and 68 educational institutions. During the six-week period since the first announcement was made on September 21, we have also received ten corporate members and other financial supporters. We are hopeful that in this chemical test tube of ours, in this Society of Engineering Science, these noble elements will give rise to a new chemical compound, productive, creative and useful to our educational system, to our research organizations and industries, to our society, and, in short, to humanity. I wish success to all Founding Members and supporters of the Society in this grand endeavor. May I also add my heartiest welcome to that extended by President Hovde to all of you. I thank you.
OPENING REMARKS by A. C. Eringen, President of the Society of Engineering Science THE BASICPHILOSOPHYunderlying the natural sciences in Pre-Copernican times is that of Aristotle, whose philosophy ruled the scientific world in its various distorted forms. According to this philosophy, all physical phenomena are referred to final causes. Unseen hands of a spiritual mover are constantly at work, and 'sublime intelligences' keep the motion going. Bodies are endowed with souls and aspirations with a preference for certain kinds of motions. Thus, matter possesses mystical qualities. In the 14th century, Nicholas of Oresme went further in this unification by saying that God started off the universe, a kind of clock, and left it to run by itself. It took several centuries of inquisitions, revelations and scientific, religious and metaphysical wars involving Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Descartes and others to change this unified religious, metaphysical approach to science. With Kepler, Descartes and Newton, the observation of the external world and the supreme importance of mathematics in the study of natural phenomena were established. Thus began the mechanical or natural philosophy which is summarized in the famous slatement of Laplace: "An intelligence which, for a given instant, knew all the forces by which nature is animated and the respective position of the being which compose it, and which besides are large enough to submit these data to analysis, would embrace in the same formula the motions of the largest bodies of the universe and those of the lightest atom; nothing would be uncertain to it, and the future as well as the past would be present to its eyes. Human mind offers a feeble sketch of this intelligence in the perfection which it has been able to give to Astronomy." With the discovery of quantum mechanics, this deterministic and, in a way, fatalistic philosophy of sciences was challenged. In addition, during the span of three centuries, engineering and scientific developments forced the philosopher to abandon the grandiose plan of unified approach as a matter of practical convenience. The time required to master a particular area of science and engineering has become comparable to a man's creative lifespan. Thus, specialization became a necessary evil for the achievement of any result. Each subject has now so proliferated that the learner, in order to climb to the finer extremities, has quickly clambered over the other branches, often without seeing the main body and without developing an adequate rooting in the fundamentals Recent advances in engineering require heavy demands and allow extremely small tolerances in the utilization of materials. This then forces the scientist into the re-examination of older theories and in the careful consideration of nonlinear effects in the evolution of the physical phenomena involved. The traditional divisions of studies are fast becoming obsolete. No longer are mechanical, electrical, thermal and chemical phenomena separable. In the understanding of ionized gases, hot and cold plasmas, in the mechanics of solids and fluids subject to violent environmental effects, and in the study of chemically reacting media, knowledge from the entire body of science is required. 247
248
A.C. ERINOEN
The Indian folklore of the seven blind men and an elephant is well-known. Each blind man was allowed to touch a part of the elephant, and from this experience, he was asked to describe what he thinks the elephant looked like. The one who examined a leg concluded that the elephant resembled a log; the one who touched the tail said it was a broom; one thought it was a wall, and another said it was a s h o v e l . . . All these expert findings certainly contains some correct information, however far they are from the total picture. Had the blind men (the investigators) been permitted to communicate with one another, surely the overall conclusions would have been much closer to the truth. While we may not have the optimism of Bertrand Russell who said,".., it is not chimerical to hope that a unified treatment of the whole physics may be possible before many years have passed", we are faced with a great need for collaborative work among scientists and engineers not only for the sake of scientific wealth, but also because of the engineering urgency. It is not implied here that we should bring back the unification imbedded into the faith of medieval philosophers nor the mechanistic determinism of Descartes and Laplace. Hope for the composition of a unified science for a relativistically constructed human mind is perhaps an unattainable absolute. Rather, the plan is to feed the root system of various branches of the tree of physical sciences for a better harvest, if not complete transmutation. The Society of Engineering Science is not an attempt to eliminate specialization. Rather, it is the result of a long-standing need: (a) to facilitate the communication among insular experts; (b) to provide a warm milieu where the exchange of ideas would take place among various types of engineers and scientists. Not only do engineers need the help of scientists and mathematicians for guidance in their work, but scientists and mathematicians will also benefit a great deal in locating lively pure problems worthy of their attention. For, nature is extremely wealthy in such problems and engineers are trying constantly to uncover them, even if they do so in a manner at times disapproved by the 'purists'. (c) to encourage and accelerate interdisciplinary research. The historical incisions made on the whole body of science to facilitate learning has by the same token destroyed the most interesting and vital organs. Amputation of an arm, a leg or an ear, to simplify their study, cannot provide much more than the structure of bones and dead tissues. The interrelations and coupling of these elements with the body and the life process are lost in this incision and cannot be replaced or understood after such a dissection. Separation of electrical and mechanical sciences not only eliminates the most intriguing electromechanical phenomena, such as magnetohydrodynamics, electrostriction, piezoelectric effects, solid and fluid plasmas, but also makes the fundamental understanding of moving media theory, solid state physics and nuclear phenomena clouded and inexplicable in more complete form. Today marks the inauguration of a new society, the Society of Engineering Science. It is a child born to Science and Engineering. It possesses the purity and beauty of its mother, Science, and the practicality and strength of its father, Engineering. The child has great promise for the future. However, it must be loved, nourished, educated and properly brought up. This responsibility now rests upon all of us.
Opening Remarks
249
It is indeed heartening that the announcement of this birth has been well-received in all segments of the country. Many outstanding scientists, government officials, educators and engineers have sent warm congratulatory messages. Time will not allow me to enumerate the long list of well-wishers. It might, however, be worth mentioning that the membership list, which as of yesterday stood at 257, included a wide spectrum of engineers, physicists, chemists and mathematicians. It is hoped that shortly this list will include biologists and social scientists as well. The founding members represent some 12 government offices, 40 private industries and 68 educational institutions. During the six-week period since the first announcement was made on September 21, we have also received ten corporate members and other financial supporters. We are hopeful that in this chemical test tube of ours, in this Society of Engineering Science, these noble elements will give rise to a new chemical compound, productive, creative and useful to our educational system, to our research organizations and industries, to our society, and, in short, to humanity. I wish success to all Founding Members and supporters of the Society in this grand endeavor. May I also add my heartiest welcome to that extended by President Hovde to all of you. I thank you.