John, (01)
Thanks for posting this extraordinarily interesting article on Franklin
which, while I have only just skimmed it, I will
soon study, perhaps even with students in a critical thinking course I
teach. For example, the article contains this bit of information: (02)
> Students are given . . . no sense of what he [Franklin] added to our
> understanding of science. Franklin confirmed, in 1752, that lightning
> is an electrical phenomenon. And in so doing, he opened to the
> scientific world the idea that electricity might be a valuable field
> of study. (Some sources say that a similar experiment in France
> preceded Franklin's by about a month, but news of it had not reached him.) (03)
In comparing John Dewey's method of problem solving (reduced from 7 to
5 steps in the version I teach) with experimental method in critical
thinking, I often use Franklin's famous kite-with-keys experiment
confirming lightening to be an electrical phenomenon as an example of
experimental method. This yields (greatly simplified): (04)
Experimental Method <Franklin example>
Problem Solving Method (modeled after experimental method by Dewey) (05)
1. Observe an interesting natural phenomenon that has not been fully
explained (or which explanation needs confirmation)
<What is lightening?>
1. Define a personal or social problem that needs resolution (06)
2. Hypothesize possible testable explanations .
<Fire in the sky? Thunderbolts thrown by the gods? An electrical phenomenon?
2. Consider possible alternative solutions to the problem. (07)
3. Analyze, deducing the implications for setting up inductive tests,
then devise an experiment based on this analysis.
<skipping ahead to the third hypothesis, if lightening is electricity,
it should be conducted by certain metals and produce certain effects
(static electricity, magnetic effects, etc.), so that if a kite where
flown with a metal key attached and wire strung along the string, etc.>
3. Analyze the advantages and disadvantages of each alternative were you
to put it into effect, then devise an action plan based on this analysis. (08)
4. Make the inductive test
<fly the kite in the storm, etc.>
4. Try out the action plan (09)
5. Observe the results
<indeed the expected electrical effects are produced>
5. Observe the results. (010)
There's of course much more to be said here, especially after step 5 is
taken, including replicating the experiment, publishing the results,
connecting it to other scientific knowledge, etc. (011)
Gary (012)
John F. Sowa wrote: (013)
> There is an interesting article about Franklin's
> contributions to science and to his carrying out
> his civic responsibilities:
>
> http://www.physicstoday.org/vol-56/iss-10/p41.html
> Physics Today Article: Benjamin Franklin, Civic Scientist
>
> Franklin's contributions to science were recognized
> by his election to both the Royal Society of London
> and to France's Royal Academy of Science (which was
> limited to only eight foreign members).
>
> Franklin is the only person whose signature is on all
> three of the founding documents of the United States:
> the Declaration of Independence, the Treaty of Paris,
> and the US Constitution.
>
> And Franklin not only signed those documents, he was
> instrumental in making significant contributions to them.
>
> 1. In the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson had
> written, "sacred truths", but Franklin insisted that
> the word "sacred" be replaced by "self evident"
> because he didn't want religion mixed up in the matter.
>
> 2. In the Treaty of Paris, which ended the Revolutionary
> War, neither England nor France was ready to grant all
> that the US was asking for. But through Franklin's
> diplomacy, the United States got everything they asked
> for and more than they could have hoped -- including
> all the land from the Atlantic to the Mississippi.
>
> 3. In the Constitution, Franklin made many contributions,
> including the idea that the Senate have equal representation
> for each state and the House have representation that
> is proportional to population.
>
> Following is an excerpt from the article.
>
> John Sowa
> ______________________________________________________________
>
> "This portrait of Franklin offers guidance and significance for the work
> of today's scientists, particularly as we seek to advise government in
> the ever optimistic hope of informing sound public policy and as we work
> to raise the American public's level of understanding of science and
> technology. We can learn much, I believe, from Franklin's scientific
> accomplishments and disposition combined with his exemplary sense of the
> responsibilities of citizenship."
> (014)
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