When David Bohm arrived in California in the early 1940s for graduate studies he had already consolidated two intellectual trends which would characterize his whole life. He knew what kind of physics he enjoyed working on; while he was attracted to theoretical physics and had exhibited skills in mathematics, he had no patience for the solving problem style of physics he had found at Caltech. Instead he looked for speculative and conceptual science. Bohm, however, was not only concerned with science, for him science was part of a larger picture involving society as a whole. During the Great Depression he had shifted from a strong commitment to individualism along the lines of the American Dream to a more socially inclined, even sympathetic, social view. As for physics subjects, he began to work on a subject, plasma, which was inherited from the war effort and he moved to the subject to which he would dedicate his entire life: the quest to understand the quantum world. Olival will present and reflect on Bohm’s early stage of his mature life looking for elements of continuity we may find in his whole life.
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David Bohm in the 1940s: Science, Scientific Style and Political Engagement
July 18, 2020 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm CEST
29,00€ – 279,00€David Bohm in the 1940s: Science, Scientific Style and Political Engagement
with Olival Freire Jr.Â
July 18 at 18:00 (CEST) for a 2-hour live session Â
Professor Olival Freire Jr., professor of physics and history of science
Olival Freire Jr. is Professor of Physics and History of Physics at the Universidade Federal da Bahia, Brazil. In Brazil, he was trained in Physics (UFBA), he earned a PhD in History (USP) in 1995 and is fellow at the CNPq in History of Science.
He founded the Graduate Program in Science Teaching, History and Philosophy of Science at UFBA, in Brazil. He served as President of the Sociedade Brasileira de História da Ciência, the Commission on the History of Physics at DHST and as a member of the council of History of Science Society.
He was researcher at the Dibner Institute for the History of Science, MIT, Harvard, Université de Paris VII, University of Maryland, and Center for History of Physics at the American Institute of Physics.
He has published a number of articles in peer-reviewed journals as well as books and book chapters. He wrote The Quantum Dissidents—Rebuilding the Foundations of Quantum Mechanics 1950-1990, Springer, 2015, and David Bohm—A Life Dedicated to Understanding the Quantum World, Springer, 2019.
All sessions will last for approximately 2 hours, and will be held over zoom.us. The session structure may vary from speaker to speaker, but in general participants will have the opportunity to ask questions of the presenter and in some cases there will be breakaway discussion groups.
Each session will be hosted by a member of the Pari Center Team, to ensure that the call is running smoothly and assist anyone experiencing technical problems.
During the presentations, we ask participants to turn off their microphone to ensure better quality audio. For this reason, the host may mute a participant’s audio. This is not to silence a participant’s voice, but to ensure an overall good audio quality. If a participant would like to ask a question or make a contribution to the discussion, they can use the ‘raise your hand’ tool in the chat, and then are welcome to turn on their microphone.
We invite all participants to turn on their video camera, as we believe that seeing everyone creates an inclusive educational environment. However, if any participant is uncomfortable, they are free to turn off the camera.
All sessions will be recorded for archival purposes. The recordings will not include the possible breakout-room discussions, but only the speaker’s presentation, follow-up discussions and Q&A. If a participant does not feel comfortable being recorded, we invite that participant to turn off their video and audio throughout the session. These recordings are available to anyone who has purchased a ticket for an attended session, or for a session they have paid for but were unable to attend. If a participant would like to access to the recording, please email us at: eleanor@paricenter.com
Packages:
All sessions – Full Price €279, Member’s Discount €251.10: All 13 live sessions or access the recording if you miss a session.
7/13 sessions – Full Price €159, Member’s Discount €143.10: Choose any 7 live sessions or access the recording if you miss an event. After you have purchased this option, you will receive a form by email to choose the events you wish to attend.
One session – Full Price €29, Member’s Discount €26.10: By purchasing one session, you will have access to any one session and recording. Tickets for individual sessions are available on the event page for that session.
Solidarity All Sessions – €139: All 13 live sessions or access the recording if you miss a session. Please feel free to use this solidarity rate if you are under financial stress. The membership discount does not apply to this package.
Solidarity  7/13 Sessions – €99: Choose any 7 live sessions, or access the recording if you miss a session. After you have purchased this option, you will receive a form by email to choose the events you wish to attend. Please feel free to use this solidarity rate if you are under financial stress. The membership discount does not apply to this package.