Martian scientist
A Martian scientist or Martian researcher is a hypothetical
The following extract from an essay by Richard Dawkins is more or less typical.
- A Martian
In American
- The descriptive analyst must be guided by certain very fixed principles if he is to be objective in describing accurately any language or part of any language. It would be excellent if he could adopt a completely man-from-Mars attitude toward any language he analyzes and describes.[2]
The hypothetical Martian anthropologist is described in the writings of Noam Chomsky as one who, upon studying the world's languages, would conclude that they are all dialects of a single language embodying a "universal grammar" reflecting a hardwired, genetically determined linguistic module inherent in the human brain.
In philosophy, especially philosophy of language and philosophy of mind, the Martian is often invoked as an example of an intelligent being with a cognitive apparatus that differs from that of humans, e.g. the following example given by Saul Kripke:
- I will not here argue that simplicity is relative, or that it is hard to define, or that a Martian might find the quus function simpler than the plus function.[3]
In a common rhetorical turn, invoking the Martian scientist forces the reader to observe an obvious state of affairs that is ordinarily overlooked:
- If a Martian graced our planet, it would be struck by one remarkable similarity among Earth's living creatures and a key difference.[4]
(NB: The similarity Chomsky et al. mean is the universal hereditary language of DNA, while the difference is the lack of a universal language of communication.)
American Martian scientists
Extraordinary World War II era Hungarian scientists who emigrated to the United States in the early half of the 20th century.[5] [6] [7] The most prominent Martians (scientists) included Theodore von Kármán, John von Neumann, Eugene Wigner, and Edward Teller. They were referred to as Martians due to their brilliant problem solving and invention talents that seemed out-of-this world .
References
- ISBN 0-297-82973-4
- ^ Nida E. Morphology: the descriptive analysis of words. 2nd ed. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press; 1949. p 1.
- ^ Kripke, Saul. Wittgenstein on Rules and Private Language: An Elementary Exposition, Harvard University Press. p. 38
- PMID 12446899
- ^ M. Whitman (2012) The Martian's Daughter: A Memoir, University of Michigan Press.
- ISBN 963-05-7723-2.
- ISBN 978-0-19-517845-6.