LiliAcross a bunch of scientist biographies, I noticed that a lot of scientists were part of a club to discuss science. It's usually something mostly informal that meets about once a month. Some scientists that I know were part of such clubs and developed ideas there are Norbert Weiner, Ramon y Cahal, Alan Turing, Pyotr Kapitsa, among others. Counting down to the new year, I'll be posting about the societies that have fascinated me.
A few of the influential clubs I've seen:
- Cybernetics club
- Ratio club
- Helmholtz club
- Homebrew computer club
- Kapitza club
I think they're important in guiding people on what problems to work on and building connections across disciplines.
Kevin Mitchell@lili Absolutely true and those clubs often involved philosophers, too, like The Metaphysical Club, The Lunar Society, the Vienna Circle...
@WiringtheBrain Ah so true, I think the philosophers were an important element! I remember reading that Patricia Churchland was often present at the Helmholtz club, for instance.
(On a side note, I'm particularly excited about covering this club, as I wonder if anyone on Mastodon has attended meetings.)
T. T. PerryCame to the replies to say I'm so excited and this is a definite follow, only to realize I already follow you lol