Graham Science And Philosophy in

Fisher, Len: WEIGHING THE SOUL: SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY FROM THE BRILLIANT TO THE BIZARRE, Arcade Publishing 2004
ISBN: 1-55970-732-1 As New condition

<strong> "Science and common sense often don't mix," notes Fisher, a research fellow at the University of Bristol famous for studying the science of dunking doughnuts. This new effort is largely about discoveries, such as the wave theory of light and the theory of relativity, that defy reason yet are the bedrock for our understanding of the world. <P> To make his various points, Fisher also portrays an eclectic mix of scientists and the ridicule heaped on them for their apparently nutty ideas; he also includes genuine quacks and charlatans, like "Doctor James Graham," whose 18th-century specialty was enhancing his customers' sex lives with electrical devices. Fisher entertains in an airy, lighthearted manner, while also imparting his own philosophy of science, eloquently discussing the borderlines between science and philosophy and faith: In his view, science can't know everything, and those things that it can't know "are the province of philosophy and religion." <P> He also tackles the question of whether science can keep us safe. For instance, can it answer questions about the long-term effect of exposure to microwaves? His answer is guarded; taking risks is necessary for progress; science's job is to provide accurate information with which society can weigh both the risk of trying something new and the risk of not doing it. Illus. Agent, Barbara Levy. (Nov.) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. Kirkus Reviews The British science popularizer (How to Dunk a Doughnut: The Science of Everyday Life, not reviewed) describes the counterintuitive elements behind important scientific theories. Fisher's preface defines his latest as a history of scientists who stuck to their guns even though their contemporaries challenged and even ridiculed their ideas. The twist here is that not all the wacky ideas he examines have been upheld by subsequent research and experiment. The title essay, for example, begins with the tale of Duncan MacDougall, a doctor who, just after 1900, put the hospital beds of terminal patients on a sensitive scale in hopes of determining the weight of their departing souls. While the bodies did appear to each lose just under an ounce at the moment of death, there were so many variables that to this day nobody can say for certain just what MacDougall had weighed. From this springboard, Fisher turns to an inquiry into the subject of mass, a crucial physical entity that ultimately eludes precise definition. (Its essence is believed to lie in the hypothetical Higgs boson, at the moment no more detectable than the soul.) Energy, too, remains mysterious, although each of us constantly deals with its specific manifestations. The author goes on to cover the careers of such familiar figures as Galileo and Newton, along with lesser lights like Robert Boyle, who laid much of the groundwork for chemistry while secretly attempting to perform alchemical experiments, and Volta and Galvani, whose scientific controversy about the role of electricity in living bodies is believed to have inspired Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Fisher makes amusing use of his own student years and of anecdotes showing thehuman side of famous scientists. The appendix and the footnotes are as entertaining as the main text. A quirky but winning approach to scientific history. Published at Twenty Five dollars. </strong> Hardcover 8.54x5.80x.98 in. 1.10 lbs.

[SW: Discoveries in science -- History, Science -- Anecdotes, Science -- History]

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Alexander Broadie (ed.): The Cambridge Companion to Scottish Enlightenment, Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0-521-003237 New

The Cambridge Companion to the Scottish Enlightenment offers a philosophical perspective on an eighteenth-century movement that has been profoundly influential on western culture. A distinguished team of contributors examines the writings of David Hume, Adam Smith, Thomas Reid, Adam Ferguson, Colin Maclaurin and other Scottish thinkers, in fields including philosophy, natural theology, economics, anthropology, natural science and law. In addition, the contributors relate the Scottish Enlightenment to its historical context and assess its impact and legacy in Europe, America and beyond. The result is a comprehensive and accessible volume that illuminates the richness, the intellectual variety and the underlying unity of this important movement. It will be of interest to a wide range of readers in philosophy, theology, literature and the history of ideas. Contents Introduction Alexander Broadie; 1. The context of the Scottish Enlightenment Roger Emerson; 2. Religion and rational theory M. A. Stewart; 3. The human mind and its powers Alexander Broadie; 4. Anthropology: the 'original' of human nature Aaron Garrett; 5. Science in the Scottish Enlightenment Paul Wood; 6. Scepticism and common sense Heiner Klemme; 7. Moral sense and the foundations of morals Luigi Turco; 8. The political theory of the Scottish Enlightenment Fania Oz-Salzberger; 9. Economic theory Andrew Skinner; 10. Natural jurisprudence and the theory of justice Knud Haakonssen; 11. Legal theory John Cairns; 12. Sociality and socialisation Christopher J. Berry; 13. Historiography Murray Pittock; 14. Art and aesthetic theory Alexander Broadie; 15. The impact on Europe Michel Malherbe; 16. The impact on America: Scottish philosophy and the American Founding Samuel Fleischacker; 17. The nineteenth-century aftermath Gordon Graham. Printed Pages: 382. Paperback

[SW: Scottish Enlightenment]

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Graham (Loren R.): Science, Philosophy and Human Behavior in the Soviet Union , expanded, updated and revised edition from "Science and Philosophy in the Soviet Union" Columbia, University Press 1987
Contents, Chapitres : preface, xiii, text, 565 pages, index, xvi - Dialectical materialism : Its development as a Philosophy of Science - Origin of life - Genetics - Physiology and Psychology - The Nature-Nurture debate - Niology and human beings, specialized topics - Cybernetics and Computers - Chemistry - Quantum mechanics - Relativity physics - Cosmology and cosmogony - concluding remarks, notes, bibliography and index very small parts of the bottom-jacket are lightly torn, without missings, otherwise fine copy

revised edition Book Condition, Etat : Tres Bon hardcover, under jacket fort et grand In-8 1 vol. - 578 pages Malicorne, France

[SW: Sciences et Techniques_Generalites_Science et Marxisme]

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Loren R Graham . Science and Philosophy in the Soviet Union . A Lane , 1973
Unknown EXAH08-00028-KON0762629 .

"1Kg. Hardback. Strong, clean, tight copy in near Fine Dust Jacket 8vo. In this book Loren Graham makes understood the relationship of science and Marxist philosophy in the thought of leading Soviet scientists. (Blurb).. 602p. " , Hardcover , USED, VERY GOOD

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