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If ever a major study of the history of science should have acted
like a sudden revolution it is this book, published in two volumes
in 1905 and 1906 under the title, Les origines de la statique.
Paris, the place of publication, and the Librairie scientifique A.
Hermann that brought it be enough of a guarantee to prevent a very
different out, could seem to outcome. Without prompting anyone, for
some years yet, to follow up the revolutionary vistas which it
opened up, Les origines de la statique certainly revolutionized
Duhem's remaining ten or so years. He became the single-handed
discoverer of a vast new land of Western intellectual history. Half
a century later it could still be stated about the suddenly
proliferating studies in medieval science that they were so many
commentariesonDuhem's countlessfindings and observations. Of
course, in 1906, Paris and the intellectual world in general were
mesmerized by Bergson's Evolution creatrice, freshly off the press.
It was meant to bring about a revolution. Bergson challenged
head-on the leading dogma of the times, the idea of mechanistic
evolution. He did so by noting, among other things, that to speak
of vitalism was at least a roundabout recognition of scientific
ignorance about a large number of facts concerning life-processes.
He held high the idea of a "vital impetus passing through matter,"
and indeed through all matter or the universe, an impetus thatcould
be detected only through intuitiveknowledge.
Much of Duhem's work as a professional scientist was closely
related to the newly emerging discipline of physical chemistry. The
book and associated papers translated here revolve around his
concomitant philosophical and historical interests in
chemistry-topics largely uncovered by Duhem's writings hitherto
available in English. He understood contemporary concerns of
chemists to be a development of the ancient dispute over the nature
of mixture. Having developed his historical account from
distinctions drawn from the atomists and Aristotelians of
antiquity, he places his own views of chemical combination squarely
within the Aristotelian tradition. Apart from illuminating Duhem's
own work, it is of interest to see how the ancient dispute can be
related to modern science by someone competent to make such
comparisons. The book is lucid and logically stringent without
assuming any particular mathematical prerequisites, and provides a
masterly statement of an important line of nineteenth century
thought which is of interest in its own right as well as providing
insight into Duhem's broader philosophical views.
Much of Duhem's work as a professional scientist was closely
related to the newly emerging discipline of physical chemistry. The
book and associated papers translated here revolve around his
concomitant philosophical and historical interests in
chemistry-topics largely uncovered by Duhem's writings hitherto
available in English. He understood contemporary concerns of
chemists to be a development of the ancient dispute over the nature
of mixture. Having developed his historical account from
distinctions drawn from the atomists and Aristotelians of
antiquity, he places his own views of chemical combination squarely
within the Aristotelian tradition. Apart from illuminating Duhem's
own work, it is of interest to see how the ancient dispute can be
related to modern science by someone competent to make such
comparisons. The book is lucid and logically stringent without
assuming any particular mathematical prerequisites, and provides a
masterly statement of an important line of nineteenth century
thought which is of interest in its own right as well as providing
insight into Duhem's broader philosophical views.
Audience: This volume is of interest to Duhem scholars,
philosophers of science and chemists with an interest in
philosophy.
If ever a major study of the history of science should have acted
like a sudden revolution it is this book, published in two volumes
in 1905 and 1906 under the title, Les origines de la statique.
Paris, the place of publication, and the Librairie scientifique A.
Hermann that brought it be enough of a guarantee to prevent a very
different out, could seem to outcome. Without prompting anyone, for
some years yet, to follow up the revolutionary vistas which it
opened up, Les origines de la statique certainly revolutionized
Duhem's remaining ten or so years. He became the single-handed
discoverer of a vast new land of Western intellectual history. Half
a century later it could still be stated about the suddenly
proliferating studies in medieval science that they were so many
commentariesonDuhem's countlessfindings and observations. Of
course, in 1906, Paris and the intellectual world in general were
mesmerized by Bergson's Evolution creatrice, freshly off the press.
It was meant to bring about a revolution. Bergson challenged
head-on the leading dogma of the times, the idea of mechanistic
evolution. He did so by noting, among other things, that to speak
of vitalism was at least a roundabout recognition of scientific
ignorance about a large number of facts concerning life-processes.
He held high the idea of a "vital impetus passing through matter,"
and indeed through all matter or the universe, an impetus thatcould
be detected only through intuitiveknowledge.
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German Science (Paperback)
Pierre Duhem; Translated by J. Lyon
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R524
R438
Discovery Miles 4 380
Save R86 (16%)
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Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) is a major influence in twentieth-century
thought, a source for many of the ideas of the Vienna circle, Karl
Popper, Imre Kalatos, and Thomas S. Kuhn. Yet Duhem's arguments
have often been perceived as enigmatic, quirky, muddled, or even
disingenuous, because his influence has been greatest outside his
native France many of his works have never been translated, and
Duhem's readers have mostly been ignorant of the peculiar French
cultural and political background during Duhem's lifetime. "German
Science" (here translated into English for the first time) is a
document of importance for understanding Duhem's better-known
works. Duhem's "Aim and Structure of Physical Theory" has been
misunderstood because of ignorance of the position set forth in
"German Science". At first sight, "German Science" is typical
chauvinistic wartime propaganda, thought by the standards of the
time and place, Duhem emerges as a moderate and sensitive patriot.
The enduring worth of "German Science" lies in its oscillation
between the poles of two basic Pascalian premisses: "Principles are
intuited" and "Propositions are inferred". The introduction is by
Stanley Jaki, author of the biography, "Uneasy Genius: The Life and
work of Pierre Duhem".
These selections from "Le systeme du monde," the classic ten-volume
history of the physical sciences written by the great French
physicist Pierre Duhem (1861-1916), focus on cosmology, Duhem's
greatest interest. By reconsidering the work of such Arab and
Christian scholars as Averroes, Avicenna, Gregory of Rimini, Albert
of Saxony, Nicole Oresme, Duns Scotus, and William of Occam, Duhem
demonstrated the sophistication of medieval science and cosmology.
Duhem's 1908 essay questions the relation between physical theory
and metaphysics and, more specifically, between astronomy and
physics-an issue still of importance today. He critiques the
answers given by Greek thought, Arabic science, medieval Christian
scholasticism, and, finally, the astronomers of the Renaissance.
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger
Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain
imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed
pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we
have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting,
preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger
Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and
hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger
Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain
imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed
pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we
have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting,
preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger
Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and
hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone!
This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger
Publishing's Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain
imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed
pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we
have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting,
preserving, and promoting the world's literature. Kessinger
Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and
hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone
|
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