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Caltech

Humanities Seminar

Monday, March 25, 2019
12:00pm to 1:00pm
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Einstein Papers Project, 363 S. Hill Ave.
Marxist Astronomer: On Anton Pannekoek's Scientific Research, and its Relation to his Socialism
Chaokang Tai, PhD Researcher, Institute of Physics, University of Amsterdam,

Anton Pannekoek (1873-1960) was both an innovative astronomer and an influential Marxist thinker. In my talk, I will outline Pannekoek's contributions to statistical cosmology and stellar astrophysics, and show how they can be situated within contemporary developments in astronomy. At the same time, I will illustrate how this scientific research can be related to his Marxist philosophy, in particular his ideas on the working of the human brain and the role of science in society.

For more information, please contact Sini Elvington by phone at 626-395-3243 or by email at [email protected].