The article presents the main functions of aesthetic values (beauty, simplicity, symmetry) in the process of formulating, evaluating and accepting scientific theories in the work of physicist: 1) they motivate to undertake scientific research; (2) have a heuristic role which enables the direction of the search for a new theory to be selected; (3) are a criterion for choosing between empirically equivalent theories in the absence of empirical evidences and (4) sometimes constitute an epistemological obstacle. The basic thesis of the work is that aesthetic values, in addition to positive functions, also play a negative role in science, hindering the acceptance of new theories or leading to inefficient research. Too much weight on the aesthetic side of theory can pose a threat to the objectivity of scientific cognition.
The assassination of the Mayor of Gdańsk Paweł Adamowicz in Poland’s leading national newspapers, This article compares the coverage of the incident in six print dailies (Gazeta Wyborcza, Rzeczpospolita, Nasz Dziennik, Gazeta Polska Codziennie, and two tabloids Fakt and Super Express) over a period of two weeks (14–26/27 January). Their presentation of the story differed considerably. There were marked differences not only in the total amount of space the individual papers devoted to the Adamowicz’s murder and its fallout, but also the way they selected, described and interpreted various points, and sought to contextualize it by introducing additional themes.