TABLE OF CONTENTS In writing this text of my work on the echo spectrum of an airborne Doppler radar, I took the opportunity to read, for the first time, Doppler s original paper in which he develops and discusses his theory of this apparent frequency shift. I was struck by how modern was his scientific approach. Scientific explanations at the time were objectively based. In essence, Doppler s scientific approach was subjectively based in that he considered physical reality as only what is experimentally observed.
Classically, a basis for the acceptance of a scientific theory was a satisfying logical argument; observation and measurement were not considered of primary importance. For example, Plato (427? ?347 B.C.E.) has Socrates (469? ?394 B.C.E.) state in his discussion with Simmias in the Phaedo, [1]
Well then, what about the actual getting of wisdom? Is the body in the way or not, if a man takes it with him as companion in the search? I mean, for example, is there any truth for men in their sight or hearing? Or so poets are forever dinning in our ears, do we hear nothing and see nothing exactly? Yet, if these of our bodily senses are not exact and clear, the others will hardly be, for all inferior to these, don t you think so?
Certainly, Simmias said.
Then, said Socrates, when does the soul get hold of the truth? For whenever the soul tries to examine anything in company with the body, it is plain that...
