Drawing on the results of his own scholarly research as well as that
of others the author offers, for the first time, a comprehensive and
documented history of theories of the atom from Democritus to the
twentieth century. This is not history for its own sake. By critically
reflecting on the various versions of atomic theories of the past the
author is able to grapple with the question of what sets scientific
knowledge apart from other kinds of knowledge, philosophical knowledge
in particular. He thereby engages historically with issues concerning
the nature and status of scientific knowledge that were dealt with in
a more abstract way in his What Is This Thing Called Science?, a book
that has been a standard text in philosophy of science for three
decades and which is available in nineteen languages. Speculations
about the fundamental structure of matter from Democritus to the
seventeenth-century mechanical philosophers and beyond are construed
as categorically distinct from atomictheories amenable to experimental
investigation and support and as contributing little to the latter
from a historical point of view. The thesis will provoke historians
and philosophers of science alike and will require a revision of a
range of standard views in the history of science and philosophy. The
book is key reading for students and scholars in History and
Philosophy of Science and will be instructive for and provide a
challenge to philosophers, historians and scientists more generally.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9789048123629
Publisert
2018
Utgiver
Vendor
Springer
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter