George Francis Rayner Ellis
George Francis Rayner Ellis
Presented by Gwen Raitt.
Objectives
The objectives of this tutorial are to learn something about George Ellis – a famous South African scientist – and to develop an understanding of the scientific method.
Birth
George Francis Rayner Ellis was born on 11 August 1939[1] in Johannesburg, South Africa.[2] He is the son of George Rayner Ellis and Gwendoline Hilda MacRobert Ellis.[2]
Higher Education
George Ellis has a B.Sc.(Hons) and B.Com.(Hons) from the University of Cape Town (UCT).[3, 4]
He received his PhD. from the University of Cambridge in 1964 (at 25 years of age).[2, 4]
Ellis the Sportsman
During his studies at UCT, George Ellis represented his university in fencing, rowing and flying.[2]
In Cambridge, he was on the St. John’s College rowing team.[2, 5]
Ellis - Wandering Academic
He was based at Cambridge from 1962—1974, first as a student then as a lecturer. During this period he was visiting professor at University of Chicago (USA) in 1970, a lecturer at Cargese Summer School in Corsica in 1971, a lecturer at Erica Summer School in Sicily in 1972 and visiting H3 professor at University of Hamburg (Germany) also in 1972.
George Ellis returned to South Africa in 1974.[2]
He was professor of cosmic physics at the International School for Advanced Studies (SISSA) in Trieste (Italy) from 1987-1994.[6]
George Ellis is presently based at UCT and is the G.C. McVittie Visiting Professor of Astronomy at Queen Mary College, London University.[3, 7]
He has at some time also held the position of visiting professor at the University of Texas, Boston University and the University of Alberta.[3]
The dots show some places where George Ellis has held academic positions. No account is taken of where he has attended conferences.
Religion
The Quaker egalitarianism contrasted strongly with Apartheid South Africa and attracted George Ellis. He became a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) in 1974.[2]
Quakers
The movement was founded in England in the mid1600s during Cromwell’s time.[8] The picture shows George Fox. He is generally regarded as the founder of the Quakers though the history is a bit more complicated than that.[8] Quakers do not believe in fixed statements of belief (creeds). Testimonies represent the principles Quakers live by. The four most common testimonies are peace, equality, integrity and simplicity.[9]
Activism
George Ellis was an anti-apartheid activist.[2] He co-authored ‘Low Income Housing Policy in South Africa.’[2, 3]
Awards
George Ellis has received honoury degrees from several institutions. He has also received several academic medals.
His activism led to his receiving the Star of South Africa Medal in 1999. The picture shows the presentation ceremony.
Ellis’ work on science and religion led to his receiving the prestigious Templeton Prize in 2004. In the same year, he received the NSTF award for contributions to science and technology. He received the Order of Mapungubwe (Silver) in 2006.[3]
Ellis the Philanthropist
Ellis put half the Templeton Prize money into a trust fund that will be paid out to UCT after his death. The other half of the prize money he gave away. The main beneficiaries were: the Basic Income Grant Campaign, the Association for Educational Transformation and Quaker Organisations in South Africa.[4]
Ellis the Philanthropist
The minor beneficiaries of the Templeton Prize money were: the Michael Oak Waldorf School, the Cape Town Life Training Centre of the Kairos Foundation, the African Summer Theory Institute, the Imagine Cape Town project, an agricultural high school in the area of Viljoenskroon in the Free State, Hurdy Gurdy House and selected individuals.[4]
Research
George Ellis’ research areas are cosmology, the history and philosophy of cosmology, complex systems and the emergence of complexity, the human brain and behaviour, science policy and developmental issues, science and mathematics education and the relation of science to religion.[3] It was for the last of these research areas that he received the Templeton Prize.
Hierarchy of Sciences
Arthur Peacocke proposed a hierarchy of sciences based on the increasing complexity of the entities studied. Murphy and Ellis present the following modified hierarchy.[10]
The Hypothetico-Deductive Method
In the hypothetico-deductive method, initial observations lead to the development of a hypothesis. The hypothesis must be tested by experimentation and the observations from the experiment are used to alter the hypothesis if it is disproved or confirm that it holds under the tested conditions.[10]
First Exercise
Read the paper “Physics, complexity and causality” by George Ellis.[11]
What is Ellis’ observation?
First Exercise Continued
What theory does this observation confound (disprove)?
How does Ellis show that the theory is confounded (disproved)?
First Exercise Continued
How does Ellis modify the theory to accommodate his observation?
Scientific Research Programmes
The traditional scientific testing (the hypothetico-deductive method) is only part of a scientific research programme.
Imre Lakatos set out the structure of a scientific research programme as follows. The programme has a core theory that keeps it together by supplying a general view of the things under investigation. The core theory is ‘protected’ by auxiliary hypotheses. The auxiliary hypotheses are tested using the hypothetico-deductive method and modified accordingly.
If the auxiliary hypothesis is altered just to avoid falsification, the change is said to be ‘ad hoc’ and is termed degenerative but if the change allows the prediction of a ‘novel’ (= new) fact, it is termed progressive.[10, 12]
Evaluation of Scientific Programmes
How does one choose between scientific research programmes?
Lakatos recommends judging by whether the programme is progressive or degenerative (as previously defined for hypothesis adjustment).[10, 12]
Second Exercise
Answer each question before you move to the next slide. Can Science explain everything?
Second Exercise Continued
George Ellis does not believe that science can explain everything.[10]
Second Exercise Continued
Give some examples of things that science cannot explain.
Second Exercise Continued
George Ellis believes that science cannot explain: thoughts and emotions though the brain physics and biochemistry can be understood and what caused the conditions that allowed the Hot Big Bang to occur. What the ultimate cause of everything is.[10]
Second Exercise Continued
What possible explanations are there for the initial conditions that allowed the ‘Hot Big Bang’?
Second Exercise Continued
Murphy and Ellis list the following as possible explanations for the initial conditions of the ‘Hot Big Bang’.
Pure chance does not provide any predictive value.
High probability suggests that though the structure of the universe seems improbable, various physical reasons make it highly probable. The physical reasons are not elaborated.
Necessity suggests the universe is as it is because it has to be so.
Universality suggests that everything possible will happen so there are many universes.
Intelligent design believes that the fine tuning of the universe suggests that it has been deliberately designed that way.
A combination of the above mechanisms would be possible.
Ellis reasons that both chance and design can act via the other ways so the choice boils down to chance or design.[10]
Second Exercise Continued
Can any of the theories suggested to explain the initial conditions for the ‘Hot Big Bang’ be proved scientifically?
Second Exercise Continued
Ellis does not believe that the theories can be proved scientifically.[10]
Second Exercise Continued
How would you decide between the theories?
Second Exercise Continued
Ellis believes the theories can be evaluated using Lakatos’ evaluation of scientific research programmes.
The chance explanation does not lead to new facts but the metaphysics/theology explanation links with human behaviour.[10]
Final Exercise
Answer the following questions.
Does Ellis use the scientific method in the second exercise? Explain your answer.
Is the work of the second exercise science? Explain your answer.
References
1. Wikipedia contributors. George Ellis [Internet]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2007 May 4, 00:10 UTC [cited 2007 May 10]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=George_Ellis&oldid=128094170.
2. Lehr, D. 2004 March 18. Professor George Ellis: a man of many parts. Cape Argus. Available from: http://www.capeargus.co.za/index.php?fArticleId=377827.
3. Ellis, G.F.R. George F.R. Ellis [Internet]. Teaching and Research staff: Permanent and Long-term Contract, Maths Dept, UCT; Update Unknown but earliest 2006 [cited 2007 May 10]. Available from: http://www.mth.uct.ac.za/~ellis/.
4. Ellis, G.F.R. Statement by George F.R. Ellis [Internet]. Templeton Prize News Conference (March 17, 2004); Updated 2004 March [cited 2007 May 16]. Available from: http://speakingoffaith.publicradio.org/programs/scienceandhope/ellisstatement.shtml.
5. Lehr, D. Current news: George Ellis wins 2004 Templeton Prize [Internet]. Templeton Prize, For Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities; Update 2004 March [cited 2007 May 10]. Available from: http://www.templetonprize.org/news_templetonprize_2004.html.
6. Anonymous. Profile: Going Home, George Ellis [Internet]. The Abdus Salam International Centre for Theoretical Physics. Update Uncertain 2003-2004 [Cited 2007 May 10]. Available from: http://www.ictp.trieste.it/~sci_info/News_from_ICTP/News_107/profile.html.
7. Anonymous. Presenters: George F.R. Ellis [Internet]. Nobel Conference 41 The Legacy of Einstein, September 27&28, 2005, Gustavus Adolphus College, Saint Peter, Minnesota USA; Updated 2007 [cited 2007 May 10]. Available from: http://www.gustavus.edu/events/nobelconference/2005/?pr=presenters/ellis.
8. Wikipedia contributors. Quaker history [Internet]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2007 May 14, 07:31 UTC [cited 2007 May 16]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Quaker_history&oldid=130728578.
9. Wikipedia contributors. Religious Society of Friends [Internet]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2007 May 11, 13:32 UTC [cited 2007 May 16]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Religious_Society_of_Friends&oldid=130084163.
10. Murphy, N.C., Ellis, G.F.R. 1996. On the Moral Nature of the Universe. Minneapolis: Fortress Press. 268 p. 0-8006-2983-3 ISBN
11. Ellis, G.F.R. 2005. Physics, complexity and causality. Nature 435 (9 Jun.): 743.
12. Wikipedia contributors. Imre Lakatos [Internet]. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia; 2007 May 5, 00:09 UTC [cited 2007 May 18]. Available from: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Imre_Lakatos&oldid=128325765.