Lancelot Law Whyte
Lancelot Law Whyte (1896–1972) was a Scottish financier and industrial engineer.[1]
Unified field theory
He claimed to have worked with Albert Einstein on the unified field theory.[2] He further claimed that this work was based on the theory of the 18th century natural philosopher Roger Boscovich.[3]
Whyte proposed something he called "the unitary principle" to unify physics theories.[4] Experimental work on this theory was carried out by Leo Baranski.[5]
Evolution
Whyte was the author of the book Internal Factors in Evolution (1968). He proposed that Darwin's theory of natural selection is limited to external factors, and internal factors are a second directive agency in evolution.[6] Whyte proposed the term "internal selection", John Tyler Bonner in the American Scientist positively reviewed the book. According to Bonner:
[Internal selection] is simply that there are two kinds of selection; an external Darwinian one and an internal one which is independent of the adaptability of the organism to a particular environment. The internal selection takes place by the machinery of the organism passing upon whether or not a particular mutation can survive considering the nature of internal milieu.[7]
Other scientists have been more critical. Biologist Robert E. Hillman gave the book a negative review, commenting "in a weak and ill-supported effort to deemphasize the role of natural selection in evolution Whyte has detracted from what could have been a fine analysis and philosophical discussion of the latest advances in the chemical basis of heredity and evolution."[8]
Works
Scientific papers
- Zeit. f. Phys., 56, 809, 1929. ‘On the characteristics of a unified physical theory. I. The presence of a universal constant with the dimensions of a length.’ (In German.)
- Zeit. f. Phys., 61, 274, 1930. ‘Ditto. II. Rulers, clocks, and a possible alternative to 4-co-ordinate representation.’ (In German.)
- Libr. of Xth Int. Congr. of Phil., Amsterdam, 1948. I. 298. ‘One-way Processes in Biology.’
- Nature, 163, 762, 1949. ‘Tendency towards Symmetry in Fundamental Physical Structures.’
- Nature, 166, 824, 1950. ‘Planck’s Constant and the Fine-Structure Constant.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 1, 303, 1951. ‘Fundamental Physical Theory. An Interpretation of the Present Position of the Theory of Particles.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 3, 256, 1952. ‘Angles in Fundamental Physics.’
- Am. Math. Monthly, 59, 606, 1952. ‘Unique Arrangements of Points on a Sphere.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 3, 243, 1952. ‘The Electric Current. A Study of the Role of Time in Electron Physics.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 3, 349, 1953. ‘Has a Single Electron a Transit Time?’
- Phil. Mag., 44, 1303, 1953. ‘The Velocities of Fundamental Particles.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 4, 160, 1953. ‘Light Signal Kinematics.’
- Am. J. Phys., 21, 323, 1953. ‘Dimensional Theory: Dimensionless Secondary Quantities.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 5, 1, 1954. ‘A Dimensionless Physics ?’
- Nature, 174, 398, 1954. ‘Velocity of Electron Pulses.’ (With D. Gabor and D. L. Richards.)
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 4, 337, 1954. ‘Geodesics and the Space and Time of Physical Observations.’
- Ann. of Sci., 10, 20, 1954. ‘On the History of Natural Lengths.’
- Brain, 77 (I), 158, 1954. ‘Hypothesis regarding the Brain Modifications underlying Memory.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 5, 332, 1955. ‘Note on the Structural Philosophy of Organism.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 6, 107, 1955. ‘One-Way Processes in Physics and Bio-Physics.’
- Nature, 179, 284, 1957. ‘Boscovich and Particle Theory.’
- Nature, 180, 513, 1957. ‘Chirality.’
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 7, 347, 1957. ‘On the Relation of Physical Laws to the Processes of Organisms.’
- Notes and Records, Roy. Soc. London, 13, 38, 1958. ‘R. J. Boscovich, 1711-1787, and the Mathematics of Atomism.’
- Nature, 182, 198, 1958. ‘Chirality.’
- Nature, 182,230, 1958. Report of Bicentenary Meeting, ‘Boscovich’s Theoria Philosophise Naturalis, 1758.
- Brit. J. Phil. Sci., 9, 133, 1958. ‘The Scope of Quantum Mechanics.’
Books
- Internal Factors in Evolution (Soc. Sci. Pbs.), Lancelot Law Whyte. Tavistock Pubns. 1968
- The Unconscious Before Freud (Soc. Sci. Pbs.), Lancelot Law Whyte. Tavistock Pubns. 1967
- The Next Development in Man, Lancelot Law Whyte, et al. Transaction Publishers, U.S. 2002
- The Universe of Experience: A Worldview Beyond Science and Religion, Lancelot Law Whyte, et al. Transaction Publishers, U.S. 2003
- Hierarchical Structures, Lancelot Law Whyte (Editor). Elsevier. 1969
- Essay on Atomism: From Democritus to 1960, Lancelot Law Whyte. Nelson. 1961
- The Atomic Problem: A Challenge to Physicists and Mathematicians, Lancelot Law Whyte. Allen & Unwin. 1961
See also
Notes
- ↑ PEP Web - A Biographical Note on L. L. Whyte
- ↑ Focus and Diversions, L L Whyte, Cresset Press, London 1963
- ↑ Roger Joseph Boscovich SJ FRS, 1711 -1787 Studies of his life and work on the 250th anniversary of his birth, edited L L Whyte, George Allen and Unwin, London, 1961
- ↑ The Unitary Principle in Physics and biology, LL Whyte, London, 1949
- ↑ Scientific Basis for World Civilization: Unitary Field theory, Leo J Baranski, The Christopher Publishing House, USA, 1960
- ↑ Clovis, Jesse F. (1968). Internal Factors in Evolution by L. L. Whyte. Castanea. Vol. 33, No. 2. p. 156.
- ↑ Bonner, John Tyler. (1965). Internal Factors in Evolution by L. L. Whyte. American Scientist. Vol. 53, No. 2. p. 198A, 200A.
- ↑ Hillman, Robert E. (1965). Internal Factors in Evolution by Lancelot Law Whyte. Chesapeake Science. Vol. 6, No. 2. pp. 123-124.
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