Physics as Natural Philosophy

Physics as Natural Philosophy
Author: Abner Shimony
Publisher: MIT Press (MA)
Total Pages: 432
Release: 1982
Genre: Science
ISBN: 9780262693080

When Laszlo Tisza first came to MIT in 1941, he had already made significant contributions to physics. In the years since, he has consolidated his position as one of the most important theoreticians of his time. Tisza's major areas of activity, closely reflected in these twenty-three essays, have included studies of quantum liquids (in particular, the remarkable properties of liquid helium and the nature of superfluidity and superconductivity), irreversible thermodynamics and the statistical thermodynamics of equilibrium, phase transitions and critical phenomena, and the application of group theory to molecular spectroscopy.Tisza has also given long and close attention to the philosophy and history of his science, to a degree rarely attained by an active research physicist. His special contribution has been his insights into the logical and conceptual structure of physics. This aspect of Tisza's work is less well known than his technical contributions, and the book has been structured to right the balance by revealing Tisza the natural philosopher who collaborates with Tisza the physicist.Written by Tisza's colleagues and former students, the essays are grouped under five headings: Foundations of Probability and Thermodynamics; Condensed Matter Physics; Quantum Mechanics and Relativity; Biological Systems; and History and Philosophy of Science.Abner Shimony, Professor of Philosophy and Physics at Boston University, has contributed a closing evaluation of Tisza's philosophy of science, and Herman Feshbach, Head of the Department of Physics at MIT, has contributed an opening recollection of Tisza's scientific style.

The Physics of the Natural Philosophers

The Physics of the Natural Philosophers
Author: James Luther Garner
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2007-12
Genre: Mathematical physics
ISBN: 9780536501806

The Physics of the Natural Philosophers blends conceptual physics with algebra-based problem-solving for a one-semester introductory course appropriate for students planning to major in physics as well as nonmajors taking it as a terminal science course. The introduction to classical physics topics-including mechanics, vibrations and waves, electricity, magnetism, electromagnetism, and heat-requires only a basic algebra background with a small amount of trigonometry. This text serves two audiences: students who need additional problem-solving skills before taking the standard algebra- or calculus-based courses, and students who need science general education credits and who likely will not go on in physics coursework. New majors will be mainly attracted by the standard problem-solving emphasis, while liberal arts students will appreciate the coverage of the history of physics, philosophy of science, and short biographies of famous classical physicists, from Aristotle to Faraday. The in-text examples and exercises at the end of the chapters present interesting and unusual problems. For example, the section on projectile motion offers an example from the JFK assassination using data from the Warren Commission Report. Many of the questions are conceptual physics questions, but most of the problems are traditional problems, making The Physics of the Natural Philosophers an excellent choice for a one-semester introduction to the field.

Averroes' Physics

Averroes' Physics
Author: Ruth Glasner
Publisher: Oxford University Press on Demand
Total Pages: 240
Release: 2009-06-18
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0199567735

Ruth Glasner presents an illuminating reappraisal of Averroes' physics. She reveals that Averroes changed his interpretation of the basic notions of physics - the structure of corporeal reality and the definition of motion - more than once.

From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences

From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences
Author: David Cahan
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Total Pages: 480
Release: 2003-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 9780226089270

During the 19th century, much of the modern scientific enterprise took shape: scientific disciplines were formed, institutions and communities were founded and unprecedented applications to and interactions with other aspects of society and culture occurred. taught us about this exciting time and identify issues that remain unexamined or require reconsideration. They treat scientific disciplines - biology, physics, chemistry, the earth sciences, mathematics and the social sciences - in their specific intellectual and sociocultural contexts as well as the broader topics of science and medicine; science and religion; scientific institutions and communities; and science, technology and industry. From Natural Philosophy to the Sciences should be valuable for historians of science, but also of great interest to scholars of all aspects of 19th-century life and culture.

A History of Natural Philosophy

A History of Natural Philosophy
Author: Edward Grant
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 376
Release: 2007-01-29
Genre: History
ISBN: 0521869315

This book describes how natural philosophy and exact mathematical sciences joined together to make the Scientific Revolution possible.

Epistemology and Natural Philosophy in the 18th Century

Epistemology and Natural Philosophy in the 18th Century
Author: Danilo Capecchi
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 567
Release: 2020-08-25
Genre: Technology & Engineering
ISBN: 3030528529

This book documents the process of transformation from natural philosophy, which was considered the most important of the sciences until the early modern era, into modern disciplines such as mathematics, physics, natural history, chemistry, medicine and engineering. It focuses on the 18th century, which has often been considered uninteresting for the history of science, representing the transition from the age of genius and the birth of modern science (the 17th century) to the age of prodigious development in the 19th century. Yet the 18th century, the century of Enlightenment, as will be demonstrated here, was in fact characterized by substantial ferment and novelty. To make the text more accessible, little emphasis has been placed on the precise genesis of the various concepts and methods developed in scientific enterprises, except when doing so was necessary to make them clear. For the sake of simplicity, in several situations reference is made to the authors who are famous today, such as Newton, the Bernoullis, Euler, d’Alembert, Lagrange, Lambert, Volta et al. – not necessarily because they were the most creative and original minds, but mainly because their writings represent a synthesis of contemporary and past studies. The above names should, therefore, be considered more labels of a period than references to real historical characters.

Isaac Newton and Natural Philosophy

Isaac Newton and Natural Philosophy
Author: Niccolò Guicciardini
Publisher: Reaktion Books
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2018-02-15
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
ISBN: 1780239483

Isaac Newton is one of the greatest scientists in history, yet the spectrum of his interests was much broader than that of most contemporary scientists. In fact, Newton would have defined himself not as a scientist, but as a natural philosopher. He was deeply involved in alchemical, religious, and biblical studies, and in the later part of his life he played a prominent role in British politics, economics, and the promotion of scientific research. Newton’s pivotal work Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which sets out his laws of universal gravitation and motion, is regarded as one of the most important works in the history of science. Niccolò Guicciardini’s enlightening biography offers an accessible introduction both to Newton’s celebrated research in mathematics, optics, mechanics, and astronomy and to how Newton viewed these scientific fields in relation to his quest for the deepest secrets of the universe, matter theory and religion. Guicciardini sets Newton the natural philosopher in the troubled context of the religious and political debates ongoing during Newton’s life, a life spanning the English Civil Wars, the Restoration, the Glorious Revolution, and the Hanoverian succession. Incorporating the latest Newtonian scholarship, this fast-paced biography broadens our perception of both this iconic figure and the great scientific revolution of the early modern period.

Mechanics and Natural Philosophy before the Scientific Revolution

Mechanics and Natural Philosophy before the Scientific Revolution
Author: Walter Roy Laird
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 316
Release: 2008-01-01
Genre: Science
ISBN: 1402059671

This volume deals with a variety of moments in the history of mechanics when conflicts arose within one textual tradition, between different traditions, or between textual traditions and the wider world of practice. Its purpose is to show how the accommodations sometimes made in the course of these conflicts ultimately contributed to the emergence of modern mechanics.