Doctoral Dissertation Research: John Archibald Wheeler: A Study in the Pedagogy, Philosophy, and Politics of Twentieth Century Physics

Oregon State University, Corvallis OR

Investigators

Abstract

A great deal has been written about the achievements, influence, and power of the American community of theoretical physics in the twentieth century. Among the towering figures of this community has been John Archibald Wheeler (1911-) whose life and career spanned the entire century. Wheeler is popularly known for his coining of the term "black hole" and for his collaboration with Niels Bohr in explicating the theoretical basis for the general mechanism of nuclear fission in 1939. He also made significant contributions to the areas of nuclear and particle physics, general relativity and cosmology, and information theory and quantum mechanics. Perhaps the most enduring legacy of John Wheeler lies in his work as a mentor. On average, an academic physicist will supervise fifteen Ph.D. students over the course of a career. Wheeler supervised more than three times that number. Nor were Wheeler's students average. Harriet Zuckerman has observed that the most promising students and the most successful mentors tend to seek out each other. The list of former Wheeler students contains some of the most highly regarded physicists of the twentieth century, including Richard Feynman, Charles Misner, David Hill, Kip Thorne and Jacob Bekenstein. No less than five Festschrifts for John Wheeler have been organized by his students and colleagues. Wheeler's role in physics extended well outside the academic community. A key player in the Manhattan Project, working mainly at Hanford, Wheeler remained active in defense related research or consultation throughout his career, including development of the hydrogen bomb and the instigation of Project Matterhorn and Project Jason, which enabled physicists to do defense research on their own campus. He served on the Boards of Battelle International and Southwest Research which administered and carried out scores of research projects for government agencies, particularly the Department of Defense, and some of his students became involved in this research. The scope of Wheeler's oeuvre, the number and accomplishments of his students, and his political (as well as philosophical) influence on theoretical physics in the United States make him a pivotal figure in understanding the achievements, influence, and power of this community. The study of scientific pedagogy has been a focus of significant recent scholarship, as has been the analysis of research groups and research schools. The practical exercise of mentorship and leadership through the processes of apprenticeship, collaboration, and what may be called "chains of wisdom" is the focus of this research project, with John Archibald Wheeler's career and influence in the construction of twentieth-century American theoretical physics at the project's center. The merit of the present project lies in its original analysis of John Wheeler's practice of pedagogy, mentorship, and leadership in twentieth-century American theoretical physics within the context of a large body of current literature in science studies and the history of physics. The project's new data and perspectives will be useful to scientists, as well as historians and sociologists. A compelling merit of this project is its integration of analysis of developments in scientific research with processes in scientific education at the university and post-graduate levels. The impact of the project is broad and significant. First of all, this project will offer insights into the teaching and training of scientists and illuminate how they learn to become productive achievers. These results will be useful to science educators and to makers of science policy. Secondly, this project will have a positive impact on visually impaired scholars in developing and using research methods that capitalize on recent technical innovations in adaptive hardware and software. Finally, this project demonstrates that visually impaired scholars can make meaningful contributions to the study of science and society.