The Tum of the Tide During centuries physicists were supposed to be
studying the physical world. Since the turn of the century this
assumption has often been challenged as naive: it was proclaimed
that physics is not about the external world but about observers
and their manipUlations: that it is meaningless to talk of anything
else than observation devices and opera tions: that the laws of
physics concern our knowledge rather than the external world. This
view of the nature of physical science has old roots in philo sophy
but it was independently reinvented by a number of philosophi cally
inclined physicists, notably ERNST MACH. These scientists were
disgusted with the school philosophies and they were alarmed by the
increasing number of physical concepts which they regarded as meta
physical or beyond experimental control, such as those of absolute
motion, ether, electromagnetic field, and molecule. Reasonably
enough, they wished to keep physics testable. To accomplish this
goal they adopted the safe method, namely to banish every idea that
could not be closely tied to observation. In this way they
certainly avoided the risks of untestable speculation but they also
failed to enjoy the benefits of theoretical invention. Furthermore
they instituted unawares a new meta physics that was to dominate
the philosophy of physics for half a century: the metaphysics
according to which the world is made of sense experience."
General
Imprint: |
Springer-Verlag
|
Country of origin: |
Germany |
Series: |
Studies in the Foundations, Methodology and Philosophy of Science, 2 |
Release date: |
April 2012 |
First published: |
1967 |
Editors: |
M. Bunge
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 155 x 6mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
120 |
Edition: |
Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 1967 |
ISBN-13: |
978-3-642-88028-5 |
Categories: |
Books >
Science & Mathematics >
Physics >
Relativity physics >
General
Promotions
|
LSN: |
3-642-88028-2 |
Barcode: |
9783642880285 |
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