posted on 2024-11-18, 15:55authored byInaugural addresses
Inaugural lecture--Department of Computer Science, Rand Afrikaans University, 5 June 1972@@The central necessity of models in scientific procedure is discussed. Looking at the history of the development of the natural sciences, especially physics, it emerges that the Book of Nature is written in the language of Mathematics. This has been observed by Galileo in 1623, but today it is even more true. In present times, although we can look back on the silent scientific revolution of the past 300 years, which has brought vast technological advances for mankind, it becomes increasingly clear that our technology forms an intrinsically unstable relationship with our natural environment. This is manifested in increasing pollution, traffic congestion and degenerating cities. These problems must be solved scientifically, since technology,
in its efforts to improve the situation, only adds to it. The scientific method however, requires that the system being studied can be experimented on, which is obviously impossible for the socio-economic systems such as cities on a nation-wide scale. This problem can be overcome by constructing mathematical models of reality and using the electronic computer to simulate reality. The work of Forrester on Urban Dynamics, which is a way of modeling mathematically the growth and decay processes of cities, is discussed. It is stressed that the ultimate goal in studying the problem areas should be to construct a body of mathematical theory. This will enable us to understand and thereby control the relationship between technology and environment.