摘要：Eric Rogers（1902-1990）在剑桥大学学习数学和物理学。在20世纪60年代，他在纳菲尔德的物理教育计划中发挥了关键作用。他是普林斯顿大学物理学的名誉教授，于1971年退休。编写的教材“打击”那种死记硬背式的学习，而鼓励学生追求真正的理解。课程极

书籍封面及作者简介

英文书名：Physics for the Inquiring Mind

中文书名：《面向爱探究的头脑的物理学》

或《给爱刨根问底的人看的物理学 物理科学的方法 本质和哲学 》

Eric Rogers（1902-1990）在剑桥大学学习数学和物理学。在20世纪60年代，他在纳菲尔德的物理教育计划中发挥了关键作用。他是普林斯顿大学物理学的名誉教授，于1971年退休。编写的教材“打击”那种死记硬背式的学习，而鼓励学生追求真正的理解。课程极其注重实验。它的精神可用一句谚语来概括：“听了会忘，看了会记住，做了才理解。”（Hear and forget, see and remember, do and understand.）他反对积累孤立的、碎片化知识的学习。他设计的整个课程表现为互相联系着的知识网。课程素材的选择和安排是围绕一个统一的目的。

在我们的科学时代，对物理学的理解是通识教育的一部分。律师等所有受过明智教育的人都需要对物理学有持久的了解，以便他们能够享受与科学和科学家的接触，这些接触在物质上和智力上都是我们文明的一部分。

他们需要知识和理解，而不是那种太常见的感觉，即物理学是黑暗和神秘的，物理学家是一个奇怪的人，有着不可理解的兴趣。这种理解科学和科学家的感觉既不能从关于科学之美的布道中获得，也不能从大学几代人所提供的严格课程中获得；当头疼的问题消除后，只剩下一种混乱的神秘感。那些提供花边新闻的调查课程也不能满足需求，并且它们给科学带来了一个信息或公式汇编的坏名声。

本书是非科学家需要一门学习课程，使他能够学习真正的科学，并使之成为自己的乐趣。

为了获得持久的利益，聪明的非科学家需要这个学习课程，使他能够认真学习真正的科学，然后鼓励他思考和使用它。他需要一个精心挑选的主题框架。不要太多，以免学习变得肤浅和匆忙；也不要太少，以免他错过科学工作和思维的关联性质。他必须看到科学知识是如何建立起来的，通过阅读和讨论，如果可能的话，通过亲自做实验，建立起自己的一些科学知识。他必须用自己的方式来思考一些科学论点。他必须在指导下对实验和理论所起的作用形成自己的看法；必须向他展示如何培养对好理论的兴趣。他必须看到几种不同的科学方法在发挥作用。重要的是，他必须自己思考科学，并享受这种乐趣。这些都是本书鼓励读者通过自己的学习和思考而获得的东西。本书是为大学生的探究精神以及其他想增长科学智慧、想知道物理学到底是什么的读者而写的。

In our scientific age an understanding of physics is part of a liberal education. Lawyers, bankers, governors, business heads, administrators, all wise educated people need a lasting understanding of physics so that they can enjoy those contacts with science and scientists that are part of our civilization both materially and intellectually.

They need knowledge and understanding instead of the feelings, all too common, that physics is dark and mysterious and that physicists are a strange people with incomprehensible interests. Such a sense of understanding science and scientists can be gained neither from sermons on the beauty of science nor from the rigorous courses that colleges have offered for generations; when the headache clears away it leaves little but a confused sense of mystery. Nor is the need met by survey courses that offer a smorgasbord of tidbit--they give science a bad name as a compendium of information or formulas.

The non-scientist needs a course of study that enables him to learn real science and make its own--with delight.

For lasting benefits the intelligent non-scientist needs a course of study that enables him to learn genuine science carefully and then encourages him to think about it and use it. He needs a carefully selected framework of topics--not so many that learning becomes superficial and hurried; not so few that he misses the connected nature of scientific work and thinking. He must see how scientific knowledge is built up by building some scientific knowledge of his own, by reading and discussing and if possible by doing experiments himself. He must think his own way through some scientific arguments. He must form his own opinion, with guidance, concerning the parts played by experiment and theory; and he must be shown how to develop a taste for good theory. He must see several varieties of scientific method at work. And above all, he must think about science for himself and enjoy that. These are the things that this book encourages readers to gain, by their own study and thinking. Physics for the Inquiring Mind is a book for the inquiring mind of students in college and for other readers who want to grow in scientific wisdom, who want to know what physics really is.

来源：沛沛课堂