Karl K. Darrow was a central actor in the reception of quantum theory in the Bell Telephone Laboratories. He was the first industrial physicist to dedicate his entire working time to the dissemination of novel concepts and theoretical tools by means of long review papers. The present paper analyzes the evolution of Darrow’s narratives of quantum theory and shows that Darrow’s reviews aimed at substantiating the view that physics was an evolutionary process. The paper argues that this view was connected to Darrow’s peculiar activity at the Bell Labs as well as to the contemporaneous attempts of leading American scientists to build an ideology of national science.

‘The Renaissance of Physics’: Karl K. Darrow (1891-1982) and the Dissemination of Quantum Theory at the Bell Telephone Laboratories / Lalli, R - In: A bridge between conceptual frameworks: sciences, society and technology studiesSTAMPA. - [s.l] : SPRINGLER, 2015. - ISBN 978-94-017-9645-3. - pp. 249-273 [10.1007/978-94-017-9645-3_14]

‘The Renaissance of Physics’: Karl K. Darrow (1891-1982) and the Dissemination of Quantum Theory at the Bell Telephone Laboratories

Lalli R
2015

Abstract

Karl K. Darrow was a central actor in the reception of quantum theory in the Bell Telephone Laboratories. He was the first industrial physicist to dedicate his entire working time to the dissemination of novel concepts and theoretical tools by means of long review papers. The present paper analyzes the evolution of Darrow’s narratives of quantum theory and shows that Darrow’s reviews aimed at substantiating the view that physics was an evolutionary process. The paper argues that this view was connected to Darrow’s peculiar activity at the Bell Labs as well as to the contemporaneous attempts of leading American scientists to build an ideology of national science.
2015
978-94-017-9645-3
A bridge between conceptual frameworks: sciences, society and technology studies
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11583/2971216