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Nancy Cartwright Born
Nancy Cartwright was born on Monday, January 24th, 1944. -
"How the Laws of Physics Lie" Published
On July 7th, 1983, Oxford University Press published Cartwright's first book, "How the Laws of Physics Lie." In it, she lays down her belief that "laws," such as those in physics, are nonexistent, but are merely reflections of the conditions under which they flourished. They are completely dependent upon other factors and when those conditions aren't present, the "law" isn't perceivable. -
"The Dappled World" Published
In 1999, Cambridge University Press published Cartwright's book, "The Dappled World: A Study of the Boundaries of Science." In this book, she further elaborates on what she set down in "How the Laws of Physics Lie." In it, she describes something she terms as the "Nomological Machine." This "machine" is the mechanism by which the "laws" of the universe are allowed to exist. If this "machine" did not function properly (provide the right set of circumstances), our scientific laws wouldn't exist. -
Video by Cartwright
In this video, Cartwright describes how people use evidence to make educated guesses about the possible results of proposed policy. She goes into causality, which is the relationship of cause and effect. One must be careful when making assumptions based off of causality, as it's easy to slip into the "post hoc ergo propter hoc," or "after, therefore because of," fallacy that because one thing follows another, it can be assumed it is because of it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZtT9J2vfps