Questions tagged [philosophy-of-science]
For questions about the branch of philosophy studying science, scientists, the scientific method and related topics.
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From a Logical Point of View quote, 2nd and 1st editions
I have access to the quote
The analogy between the myth of mathematics and the myth of physics is, in some additional and perhaps fortuitous ways, strikingly close. Consider, for example, the crisis ...
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What did Quine say on paradox and physics?
I remember that Willard van Orman Quine wrote something to the effect that physics may be paradoxical, in similar ways as naive set theory is paradoxical.
May someone help find the quote?
Edit 1 - A ...
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Which mathematical concepts do not have any obvious origin outside mathematics?
Some mathematical concepts, such as that of number and that of geometrical figure, presumably originate from pre-existing notions already used by at least some non-mathematicians.
Others seem to have ...
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What were the obstacles that made the discovery of calculus very late?
I wonder What were the obstacles that made the discovery of calculus very late ?
Why the discovery of calculus took so long? I know that some of the ideas and techniques of calculus appeared in ...
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A summary of Major events in Pre-Modern Atomist Philosophy of Chemistry [closed]
When I started learning about Laws related to "constant proportions" and other hypothesis like "all matter is composed of smallest indivisible particles", I didn't notice it was ...
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Did Heisenberg say free will could arise from quantum probabilistic mechanics?
I see this view attributed to him a lot during Twitter debates but I never found the source for it
does anyone know if Heisenberg actually held this view/suggested it?
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Have there ever been any schemes for the classification of experiments?
There have been several book classification schemes, for example: Dewey Decimal, Library of Congress, etc. Have there been any experiment classification schemes, i.e. sets of criteria by which to ...
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Did any "classical era" physicist foresee that a theory such as Quantum Mechanics is logically inescapable?
I am interested in knowing if in the era preceding the observations that lead to the advent of Quantum Mechanics, anyone foresaw logically that a theory such as Quantum Mechanics is in a sense, "...
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In a survey of historical science has anyone studied the propensity of other departments to co-opt scientific terminology to further their own ideas?
For example, Albert Einstein complained that sociology departments across the quad were using his theory of relativity to advance the idea of "relativistic morality."
The meaning of ...
user18391
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When and why Cantor-Hume principle was universally adopted in set theory instead of Euclid's principle?
In this answer and the comments Joel David Hamkins talks about a conflict between Cantor-Hume principle and Euclid's principle. He writes:
This principle [Cantor-Hume] is often defended as a ...
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Book suggestions on Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics?
What are some books that talk about the origins of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian mechanics? I would like to dig deeper into the fundamental approach and the fundamentals of action and its principles.
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How the present technology influences the way history of science is done?
Heard recently about digital humanities as a new paradigm of inquiry into the history of mankind and other humanities. Is the historiography of science informed by technological advances that could ...
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How did Aristotle explain the motion of living things moving by themselves, and falling of objects, with his hypothesis of all motion needing a cause?
Aristotle (384 BC – 322 BC), a pioneering, iconoclastic, and brilliant ancient Greek philosopher, made the observation in his writings that the long term stable state of objects is at rest, that ...
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References on the role of diagrams in scientific advancement
A number of diagrammatic formulations have played an important role in the advancement of science. Some embody representations of physical phenomena, while others model mathematical or logical ideas ...
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What was the full name of I. Bernard Cohen?
I've seen quite a few of the names I. Bernard Cohen in the history of science book. But I couldn't find what I. meant.
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