Scerri, Eric R. (Author)
In his latest book, Eric Scerri presents a completely original account of the nature of scientific progress. It consists of a holistic and unified approach in which science is seen as a living and evolving single organism. Instead of scientific revolutions featuring exceptionally gifted individuals, Scerri argues that the "little people" contribute as much as the "heroes" of science. To do this he examines seven case studies of virtually unknown chemists and physicists in the early 20th century quest to discover the structure of the atom. They include the amateur scientist Anton van den Broek who pioneered the notion of atomic number as well as Edmund Stoner a then physics graduate student who provided the seed for Pauli's Exclusion Principle. Another case is the physicist John Nicholson who is virtually unknown and yet was the first to propose the notion of quantization of angular momentum that was soon put to good use by Niels Bohr. Instead of focusing on the logic and rationality of science, Scerri elevates the role of trial and error and multiple discovery and moves beyond the notion of scientific developments being right or wrong. While criticizing Thomas Kuhn's notion of scientific revolutions he agrees with Kuhn that science is not drawn towards an external truth but is rather driven from within. The book will enliven the long-standing debate on the nature of science, which has increasingly shied away from the big question of "what is science?"
...MoreReview Bart Karstens (2019) Review of "A Tale of Seven Scientists and a New Philosophy of Science". Isis: International Review Devoted to the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences (pp. 387-388).
Review Eric R. Scerri (2018) Review of "A Tale of Seven Scientists and a New Philosophy of Science". Bulletin for the History of Chemistry (pp. 125-127).
Essay Review Joseph E. Earley (2017) Should the Historical Star-System in Chemical Education Be Replaced?. Science and Education (pp. 1075-1078).
Review Helge Kragh (2017) Review of "A Tale of Seven Scientists and a New Philosophy of Science". Bulletin for the History of Chemistry (pp. 141-143).
Essay Review
Joseph E. Earley;
(2017)
Should the Historical Star-System in Chemical Education Be Replaced?
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Thesis
Vanderburgh, William L.;
(2001)
Dark matters in contemporary astrophysics: A case study in theory choice and evidential reasoning
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Article
Louis Caruana;
(2018)
Mechanistic Trends in Chemistry
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Book
Raffaella Campaner;
Carlo Gabbani;
(2023)
Realismo e antirealismo nelle scienze: Un percorso multidisciplinare
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Chapter
Mario Quaranta;
(2016)
Dialogo e confronto fra lo scienziato Giorgio Piccardi e l'epistemologo Ludovico Geymonat
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Book
Kaiser, David;
(2005)
Pedagogy and The Practice of Science: Historical and Contemporary Perspectives
(/isis/citation/CBB000550490/)
Book
Michael Polanyi;
(2015)
Personal Knowledge: Towards a Post-Critical Philosophy
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Article
Harris, Martha L.;
(2008)
Chemical Reductionism Revisited: Lewis, Pauling and the Physico-Chemical Nature of the Chemical Bond
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Book
Joachim Schummer;
Tom Børsen;
(2021)
Ethics of Chemistry: From Poison Gas to Climate Engineering
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Article
Eli I. Lichtenstein;
(2021)
(Mis)Understanding scientific disagreement: Success versus pursuit-worthiness in theory choice
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Book
Christie, Maureen;
(2001)
The Ozone Layer: A Philosophy of Science Perspective
(/isis/citation/CBB000102429/)
Article
Kennefick, Daniel;
(2000)
Star crushing: Theoretical practice and the theoreticians' regress
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Book
Marina Paola Banchetti-Robino;
(2020)
The Chemical Philosophy of Robert Boyle: Mechanicism, Chymical Atoms, and Emergence
(/isis/citation/CBB474107384/)
Article
Martínez González, Juan Camilo;
Sebastian Fortin;
Olimpia Lombardi;
(2017)
The Relationship between Chemistry and Physics from the Perspective of Bohmian Mechanics
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Article
Marc Henry;
(2020)
Consciousness, Information, Electromagnetism and Water
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Article
Bishop, Robert C.;
(2010)
Whence Chemistry?
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Article
Miguel Escribano-Cabeza;
(2021)
Chemistry and dynamics in the thought of G.W. Leibniz II
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Article
Näpinen, Leo;
(2007)
The Need for the Historical Understanding of Nature in Physics and Chemistry
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Article
Spronsen, Jan W. van;
(1979)
Atomic number before Moseley
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Article
Cantor, Geoffrey;
(1994)
The making of a British theoretical physicist: E.C. Stoner's early career
(/isis/citation/CBB000059780/)
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