The San Francisco Exploratorium located on pier 15 is an amazing attraction and museum for any person of all ages. It is a very unique experience that I have not seen at any other kinds of exhibits or museums. The Exploratorium heavily relies on the use of hands on interactive displays as majority of the information in the Exploratorium relates towards certain invention
s, technologies and concepts that have either real life application or can be expressed in a simplified manner which allows for interaction. One of my favorite exhibits in the Exploratorium was the section on simple machin
es for the displays were the actual simple machines that people could touch and use. I am a firm believer in the idea that one of the best ways to understand how something works is to be able to use and experience it first-hand. In The Journal of Philosophy by Paul M. Churchland he discusses the thought experiment that was originally proposed by Frank Jackson about a brilliant scientist Mary who is forced to investigate the world 
from a black and white room, she is an expert on everything there is to know about color as she has done years of research on her black and white computer. The question then goes what will happen when Mary is released from her black and white room and actually sees color for the first time? Will she learn anything new or not? Frank Jackson claims that she does and Paul Churchland answers it as follows.
- “Mary knows everything there is to know about brain states and their properties.
- It is not the case that Mary knows everything there is to know about sensations and their properties.
- Therefore, sensations and their properties are not the same (≠) as the brain states and their properties.”
This is why I believe that the San Francisco Exploratorium should be an inspiration for other museums, for it allows for the knowledge of experience rather than just the knowledge of information. Lastly, while the museum is mainly targeted towards young people ranging from the ages of four to thirteen, the museum is still able to capture the attention of many older people. For many adults this museum has been around since they were children and it brings back many nostalgic memories; however, it is not only the memories that keep bringing adults back, it also has to do with the extensive nightlife at the Exploratorium. The night events at the Exploratorium range from ev
erything to the science of food, titanium and cannabis. I highly recommend that if any of you happen to be in San Francisco that you go and visit the Exploratorium for not only an educational experience, but a fun one as well.
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I was just commenting on Li’s post about the Exploratorium about how cool it was for me to see how it’s changed over time. I used to go to the old Exploratorium a lot as a kid and haven’t been since it switched locations. I’m so happy to hear that it is still thriving and holds as much of its interactive charm as it did before.
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I like this journal so much!!! I have the same experience as you do. The Exploratorium is so wonderful that you can have numerous hands-on experiments and touch everything in the exhibition, which is very useful for children to study the science. Even though they cannot understand the fundamental concepts behind the phenomena, they still can have an impression which can help them to study the science when they get older. However, as an college student, I still feel that the Exploratorium is not very targeted to us, so I really hope that it can be updated and have new technologies in the future.
Also, I really like the experiment you mentioned in your journal. I once heard it in my neuroscience class. It is interesting to see that what we sense from outside world and what we perceive are not always the same.
This is a great review! I like it!
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I agree, the exploratorium is extremely hands-on, I’ve gone before just as a fun activity with my family, but came out a lot more knowledgable. There are pets, and science fair type of activities available. I think this is particularly important because growing up past elementary school, I feel like science fairs die in education, and the Exploratorium allows young adults, and adults to relive that, and learn more.
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