Essays in the History and Philosophy of Science 1st Edition

by Pierre Duhem (Author), Roger Ariew (Author), Peter Barker (Author, Translator)

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ISBN-13: 978-0872203082

ISBN-10: 0872203085

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"This volume assembles twelve texts published between 1892 and 1915 . . . . The editors allow one to see the genesis of the ideas of Duhem, philosopher and historian, of the variety of his styles, and sometimes also the limits of his work . . . . A useful index, probably unique in the field of Duhemian studies, completes the book . . . . The English-language public may be assured an exemplary translation and a reliable critical apparatus." --Jean Gayon, Revue d'Histoire des Sciences

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

--This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Essays in the History and Philosophy of Science

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Editorial Reviews

Review

This volume assembles twelve texts published between 1892 and 1915 . . . . The editors allow one to see the genesis of the ideas of Duhem, philosopher and historian, of the variety of his styles, and sometimes also the limits of his work . . . . A useful index, probably unique in the field of Duhemian studies, completes the book . . . . The English-language public may be assured an exemplary translation and a reliable critical apparatus. --Jean Gayon, "Revue d'Histoire des Sciences" --This text refers to the Library Binding edition.

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

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Product details

Paperback: 312 pages
Publisher: Hackett Publishing Company; 1 edition (January 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0872203085
ISBN-13: 978-0872203082
Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,860,221 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #7958 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy > Movements
- #9336 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics > Physics
- #15937 in Books > Science & Math > History & Philosophy

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Opportunistic

ByViktor Blasjoon July 11, 2009

Format: Paperback

The part of Duhem's philosophy of science remembered today is simplistic and trivial (as Duhem would have agreed; see p. 234 for Duhem referring to the so-called "Duhem thesis" as basically a "truism"), the forgotten part (viz., the instrumentalism and conventionalism; known perhaps by name but not more) is opportunistic and never argued for in a coherent way. As an illustration of the latter, observe the three blatantly inconsistent statements that: "physics logically precedes metaphysics" (p. 32); "physical theories are independent of metaphysics and vice versa" (p. 35); "it would be irrational to work towards the progress of physical theory if that theory were not more and more clear, and more and more precise reflection of a metaphysics" (p. 237).

Regarding history of science, one is surprised to read the editors' nonsense that "On the crucial issue of the indebtedness 0f seventeenth-century physics to fourteenth-centure physics ... recent scholarship has tended to support Duhem's view" (p. 163). Duhem's continuity thesis is based on nothing but thin air and wishful thinking. This is clear for example from the following quotation: "Although directed by tendencies diametrically opposed to the true scientific spirit, the efforts made by Averroists to restore the astronomy of homocentric spheres were perhaps a stimulus to the progress of science ... Thus, in their own way, the Averroists paved the way for the Copernican revolution." (p. 181). Obviously, "perhaps" is a euphemism for "not", and "paved the way for" is a euphemism for "did something entirely different than." The Duhem continuity thesis is based entirely on such euphemisms.

Essay 9 concerns "The Nature of Mathematical Reasoning." This amateurish essay is based on a simple error. Duhem wishes to argue against Poincaré's claim that mathematics is not reducible to a finite number of syllogisms. Poincaré offered mathematical induction as an example of this. Duhem claims that a number-theretic proposition P proved by induction is provable by a finite number of syllogisms. "Let us assume, in fact, that it is false for a certain whole number, and let p be this number" (p. 225). This assumption of course leads to a contradiction in a finite number of steps, whence P supposedly follows by reductio ad absurdum. The problem is that *this assumption is not the negation of P*. Of course it would be inconsistent to assume that P was false *for a particular p*, but this in no way shows P, except by assuming induction itself, which was to be avoided.

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