Ebook: Physics, Philosophy, and the Scientific Community: Essays in the philosophy and history of the natural sciences and mathematics In honor of Robert S. Cohen

In three volumes, a distinguished group of scholars from a variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, the humanities and the arts contribute essays in honor of Robert S. Cohen, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The range of the essays, as well as their originality, and their critical and historical depth, pay tribute to the extraordinary scope of Professor Cohen's intellectual interests, as a scientist-philosopher and a humanist, and also to his engagement in the world of social and political practice.
The essays presented in Physics, Philosophy, and the ScientificCommunity (Volume I of Essays in Honor of Robert S. Cohen) focus on philosophical and historical issues in contemporary physics: on the origins and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics, on the reception and understanding of Bohr's and Einstein's work, on the emergence of quantum electrodynamics, and on some of the sharp philosophical and scientific issues that arise in current scientific practice (e.g. in superconductivity research). In addition, several essays deal with critical issues within the philosophy of science, both historical and contemporary: e.g. with Cartesian notions of mechanism in the philosophy of biology; with the language and logic of science - e.g. with new insights concerning the issue of a `physicalistic' language in the arguments of Neurath, Carnap and Wittgenstein; with the notion of `elementary logic'; and with rational and non-rational elements in the history of science. Two original contributions to the history of mathematics and some studies in the comparative sociology of science round off this outstanding collection.

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In three volumes, a distinguished group of scholars from a variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, the humanities and the arts contribute essays in honor of Robert S. Cohen, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The range of the essays, as well as their originality, and their critical and historical depth, pay tribute to the extraordinary scope of Professor Cohen's intellectual interests, as a scientist-philosopher and a humanist, and also to his engagement in the world of social and political practice.
The essays presented in Physics, Philosophy, and the ScientificCommunity (Volume I of Essays in Honor of Robert S. Cohen) focus on philosophical and historical issues in contemporary physics: on the origins and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics, on the reception and understanding of Bohr's and Einstein's work, on the emergence of quantum electrodynamics, and on some of the sharp philosophical and scientific issues that arise in current scientific practice (e.g. in superconductivity research). In addition, several essays deal with critical issues within the philosophy of science, both historical and contemporary: e.g. with Cartesian notions of mechanism in the philosophy of biology; with the language and logic of science - e.g. with new insights concerning the issue of a `physicalistic' language in the arguments of Neurath, Carnap and Wittgenstein; with the notion of `elementary logic'; and with rational and non-rational elements in the history of science. Two original contributions to the history of mathematics and some studies in the comparative sociology of science round off this outstanding collection.

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In three volumes, a distinguished group of scholars from a variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, the humanities and the arts contribute essays in honor of Robert S. Cohen, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The range of the essays, as well as their originality, and their critical and historical depth, pay tribute to the extraordinary scope of Professor Cohen's intellectual interests, as a scientist-philosopher and a humanist, and also to his engagement in the world of social and political practice.
The essays presented in Physics, Philosophy, and the ScientificCommunity (Volume I of Essays in Honor of Robert S. Cohen) focus on philosophical and historical issues in contemporary physics: on the origins and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics, on the reception and understanding of Bohr's and Einstein's work, on the emergence of quantum electrodynamics, and on some of the sharp philosophical and scientific issues that arise in current scientific practice (e.g. in superconductivity research). In addition, several essays deal with critical issues within the philosophy of science, both historical and contemporary: e.g. with Cartesian notions of mechanism in the philosophy of biology; with the language and logic of science - e.g. with new insights concerning the issue of a `physicalistic' language in the arguments of Neurath, Carnap and Wittgenstein; with the notion of `elementary logic'; and with rational and non-rational elements in the history of science. Two original contributions to the history of mathematics and some studies in the comparative sociology of science round off this outstanding collection.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxvii
Experiment Vis-a-Vis Theory in Superconductivity Research. The Case of Bernd Matthias....Pages 1-10
Philosophy and the Birth of Quantum Theory....Pages 11-37
Identity Questions from Quantum Theory....Pages 39-46
Some Reminiscences of Robert Cohen’s Physics Department....Pages 47-72
Einstein in the Land of Nobel: An Episode in the Interplay of Science, Politics, Epistemology and Popular Culture....Pages 73-103
Did They Just Misunderstood Each Other? Logical Empiricists and Bohr’s Complementarity Argument....Pages 105-123
Physics, Community and the Crisis in Physical Theory....Pages 125-152
Contemporary Philosophy of Science as a Thinly Masked Antidemocratic Apologetics....Pages 153-170
A Philosopher Looks at Science....Pages 171-187
Animal Mechanism and the Cartesian Vision of Nature....Pages 189-204
Michael Polanyi and the History of Science....Pages 205-223
Cosmological Outlooks and Technological Transfers: A Comparative View from Eastern Periphery....Pages 225-233
Some Questions Concerning Limitations of the Range of Validity of Kuhn’s Model of the History of Science....Pages 235-240
Historical Epistemology and Interdisciplinarity....Pages 241-251
American Creativity Research in a Bipolar World: A Look at One Chapter in World History and History of Science....Pages 253-272
Rational and Nonrational Elements in the History of Science....Pages 273-285
Dirt and Crystal: Neurath on the Language of Science....Pages 287-299
What is Elementary Logic? Independence-Friendly Logic as the True Core Area of Logic....Pages 301-326
Physicalism in Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle....Pages 327-356
Conic Sections and Burning Mirrors: An Example of the Application of Ancient and Classical Mathematics....Pages 357-376
Back Matter....Pages 385-388
Some Sociological Problems in the History of Mathematics....Pages 377-383

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In three volumes, a distinguished group of scholars from a variety of disciplines in the natural and social sciences, the humanities and the arts contribute essays in honor of Robert S. Cohen, on the occasion of his 70th birthday. The range of the essays, as well as their originality, and their critical and historical depth, pay tribute to the extraordinary scope of Professor Cohen's intellectual interests, as a scientist-philosopher and a humanist, and also to his engagement in the world of social and political practice.
The essays presented in Physics, Philosophy, and the ScientificCommunity (Volume I of Essays in Honor of Robert S. Cohen) focus on philosophical and historical issues in contemporary physics: on the origins and conceptual foundations of quantum mechanics, on the reception and understanding of Bohr's and Einstein's work, on the emergence of quantum electrodynamics, and on some of the sharp philosophical and scientific issues that arise in current scientific practice (e.g. in superconductivity research). In addition, several essays deal with critical issues within the philosophy of science, both historical and contemporary: e.g. with Cartesian notions of mechanism in the philosophy of biology; with the language and logic of science - e.g. with new insights concerning the issue of a `physicalistic' language in the arguments of Neurath, Carnap and Wittgenstein; with the notion of `elementary logic'; and with rational and non-rational elements in the history of science. Two original contributions to the history of mathematics and some studies in the comparative sociology of science round off this outstanding collection.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xxvii
Experiment Vis-a-Vis Theory in Superconductivity Research. The Case of Bernd Matthias....Pages 1-10
Philosophy and the Birth of Quantum Theory....Pages 11-37
Identity Questions from Quantum Theory....Pages 39-46
Some Reminiscences of Robert Cohen’s Physics Department....Pages 47-72
Einstein in the Land of Nobel: An Episode in the Interplay of Science, Politics, Epistemology and Popular Culture....Pages 73-103
Did They Just Misunderstood Each Other? Logical Empiricists and Bohr’s Complementarity Argument....Pages 105-123
Physics, Community and the Crisis in Physical Theory....Pages 125-152
Contemporary Philosophy of Science as a Thinly Masked Antidemocratic Apologetics....Pages 153-170
A Philosopher Looks at Science....Pages 171-187
Animal Mechanism and the Cartesian Vision of Nature....Pages 189-204
Michael Polanyi and the History of Science....Pages 205-223
Cosmological Outlooks and Technological Transfers: A Comparative View from Eastern Periphery....Pages 225-233
Some Questions Concerning Limitations of the Range of Validity of Kuhn’s Model of the History of Science....Pages 235-240
Historical Epistemology and Interdisciplinarity....Pages 241-251
American Creativity Research in a Bipolar World: A Look at One Chapter in World History and History of Science....Pages 253-272
Rational and Nonrational Elements in the History of Science....Pages 273-285
Dirt and Crystal: Neurath on the Language of Science....Pages 287-299
What is Elementary Logic? Independence-Friendly Logic as the True Core Area of Logic....Pages 301-326
Physicalism in Wittgenstein and the Vienna Circle....Pages 327-356
Conic Sections and Burning Mirrors: An Example of the Application of Ancient and Classical Mathematics....Pages 357-376
Back Matter....Pages 385-388
Some Sociological Problems in the History of Mathematics....Pages 377-383
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