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Beginnings
Born during the first motions of the Second World War, Chalmers is likely to have been influenced by the cascading near-home events as Great Britain reluctantly entered the conflict, the new technologies and questions about the scientific progress more impressed upon him. A natural academic, as revealed by his many degrees and persistent inquiry into the nature of reality as what can be observed and what cannot, particularly particle physics, Chalmers makes himself known to the world. -
The Project
Many theories have enormous scope and far-reaching implications but lack fundamental appraisal because such inquiries are beyond the grasp of the senses, Chalmers sought to understand this paradox more fully, displayed by his work in the research project, "An Epistemological History of Atomism." After writing his dissertation on Maxwell's electromagnetism, he moved to Australia where he could pursue his labors philosophically while seeking more credentials, and teaching in Sydney. -
Chalmers' Reflections On Theory versus Empirical Observation
Chalmers was gripped by the amazing ritual science had been undergoing since the mid-nineteenth century, postulating ideas about the fundamental reality, but having no way of observing or proving it. This understanding motivated Chalmers to write his examination and conclusions about science in, "What Is This Thing Called Science?", which turned out to be rather popular by readers of the sciences, and, no doubt, those of the philosophical persuasion. -
The Philosopher's Stone
A work published much later, and clearly a more scholarly approach to Chalmers' philosophy, is published under the title, "The Scientist's Atom and the Philosopher's Stone: How Science Succeeded and Philosophy Failed to Gain Knowledge of Atoms." Obviously, any natural peering into reality without the requisite instruments could never yield the proper assessment of the physical world, but the irony is that even with modern technology, this generation cannot do so either. -
Legacy
Chalmers' distinguished career certainly does not betray a mind who nevertheless fulfills Aristotle's dictum that, 'All men by nature desire to know,' and his contribution in the philosophy of science is maintained by the simple conjecture that science cannot always be what it should. And, Einstein's curious statement that, "Imagination is more important that knowledge: for knowledge is limited," justifies Chalmers, even in the world of the atom.