Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
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Laser beams
Narrow beams of intense radiation, produced at a fixed frequency, that depend on the molecules in the cavity of the laser. The word “laser” is an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation. Lasers may function continuously or in a pulsed fashion. The pulsed laser transmits small bursts at a very high energy…
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Laplacian physics
The hypothesis that all nature is in principle explicable by the laws of theoretical physics celestial and terrestrial mechanics and subject to experimental tests. Pierre Simon Laplace (1749-1827) made major contributions to theoretical physics and celestial mechanics. In their time he and Adrien-Marie Legendre (1752-1833) were the outstanding figures in these fields, often developing each…
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Lamarckianism
Theory of evolution that stresses the inheritance of acquired characteristics as the mechanism of organic change. Over time somewhat different species of Lamarckianism have emerged, but at a basic level all share the belief that the physical changes, structural enhancements, and sometimes even mental qualities achieved by an organism in its lifetime can directly effect…
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Jean Baptiste Lamarck (1744-1829)
Trench naturalist and formulator of a distinctive theory of organic evolution. Lamarck was born in the Picardy region of Prance to a noble family of somewhat declining fortunes. Originally slated for a religious career, Lamarck’s education began in a Jesuit school where he studied ancient languages, logic, mathematics, and scholastic thought. After his father died,…
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Lake monsters
Anomalous creatures of various types and nicknames said to inhabit lakes around the world. Among the best known lake monsters are Nessie, the loch ness monster of Scotland; the ogopogo, of Lake Okanagan in Canada; and CHAMP, of Lake Champlain. Other, less well-known monsters haunt smaller bodies of water. Tessie inhabits Lake Tahoe, while Sandy…
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Kundalini
Religious experience espoused by Hindu groups in the shakti tradition. In Hatha Yoga, kundalini energy, also called shakti, is a form of “cosmic energy” that collects at the base of the spine. This kundalini energy is generally visualized as coiled, a potential energy that can be released and used. When it is released, it creates…
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Thomas S. Kuhn (1922-1996)
U.S. historian of science. He graduated in physics from Harvard in 1943. After working on radar countermeasures in Europe during World War II, Kuhn returned to Harvard, where he obtained a Ph.D. in solid-state physics. While a postgraduate student, he was invited by James B. Conant to teach case studies in the history of science.…
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Kraken
A giant squid one of the few unseen animals whose existence is not in doubt. It was originally described by Erik Pontoppidan, a Norwegian bishop, in his Natural History of Norway (1752—53) as immense; he declared it was so large that it could drag ships under water. Pontoppidan’s opinions about the kraken were ignored by…
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Kon-Tiki
Craft used in a voyage across the Pacific Ocean led by Norwegian anthropologist Thor Heyerdahl (1914- ) to prove that Polynesian inhabitants of the South Pacific could have been influenced by South Americans. The craft, named after the legendary Incan sungod Kon-Tiki, was a primitive balsa-wood raft designed along the lines of ancient rafts used…
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Arthur Koestler (1905-1983)
Journalist and author one of whose claims to fame occurred in 1985 when the Koestler Chair of Parapsychology was established in the Department of Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He and his wife Cynthia left a bequest in their wills to make this possible. On Koestler’s death from leukemia and Parkinson’s disease, his…
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