The scientific method is often presented, e.g. to children, as a linear process, starting by a question and ending by the elaboration of a theory, with a few experiments in-between. The reality of the building of science is much more complex, with back-and-forth motions between theories and observations, with some intervention of technology and randomness. This complex process is not always correctly understood and assimilated, even amongst scientists. The hero cult, mixed with some revisionism, still exists despite in-depth historical studies. In this context, it may be useful to comparatively examine the reaction to crucial observations, their interpretation and their impact on the contemporaneous theory development. Four examples are presented here, all linked to the question of the 'construction of the heavens' but at different epochs.
...MoreDescription "Structure of the Universe. When Observation Guides Theory ... or not"
Article
Kosso, Peter;
(2013)
Void Points, Rosettes, and a Brief History of Planetary Astronomy
(/isis/citation/CBB001320578/)
Book
Massimo Capaccioli;
(2020)
L’incanto di Urania: Venticinque secoli di esplorazione del cielo
(/isis/citation/CBB768291559/)
Book
Jacomien Prins;
Maude Vanhaelen;
(2017)
Sing Aloud Harmonious Spheres: Renaissance Conceptions of Cosmic Harmony
(/isis/citation/CBB071701613/)
Book
Fabio Bellissima;
(2022)
La scala musicale: una storia tra matematica e filosofia
(/isis/citation/CBB817825244/)
Book
Stefano Caroti;
Vittoria Perrone Compagni;
(2012)
Nuovi maestri e antichi testi: umanesimo e Rinascimento alle origini del pensiero moderno
(/isis/citation/CBB873381482/)
Book
Gatti, Hilary;
(2011)
Essays on Giordano Bruno
(/isis/citation/CBB001231043/)
Book
Iqbal, Muzaffar;
(2012)
New Perspectives on the History of Islamic Science Vol. 3
(/isis/citation/CBB001250503/)
Book
Jones, Alexander;
(2010)
Ptolemy in Perspective: Use and Criticism of His Work from Antiquity to the Nineteenth Century
(/isis/citation/CBB001021794/)
Book
Pierre Caye;
Romano Nanni;
Pier Daniele Napolitani;
(2015)
Scienze e rappresentazioni. Saggi in onore di Pierre Souffrin
(/isis/citation/CBB407685518/)
Chapter
Enrico Peruzzi;
(2012)
Keplero e la natura degli enti matematici
(/isis/citation/CBB130474984/)
Chapter
Michele Ciliberto;
(2012)
Cesare Vasoli interprete del Rinascimento
(/isis/citation/CBB975600033/)
Essay Review
Alberto Cordero;
(2016)
The Puzzles of Time, Then and Now
(/isis/citation/CBB738676827/)
Chapter
Mauro Stenico;
(2015)
Mundus est fabula: la cosmologia e i grandi interrogativi
(/isis/citation/CBB234454455/)
Book
Wolfe, Charles T.;
Gal, Ofer;
(2010)
The Body as Object and Instrument of Knowledge: Embodied Empiricism in Early Modern Science
(/isis/citation/CBB001031882/)
Book
Salvatore Esposito;
(2016)
Società Italiana degli Storici della Fisica e dell’Astronomia: Atti del XXXV Convegno annuale / Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference
(/isis/citation/CBB773831728/)
Book
Enrico Giannetto;
Giulia Giannini;
(2009)
Da Archimede a Majorana: la fisica nel suo divenire
(/isis/citation/CBB945473809/)
Article
Carlo Ginzburg;
(2017)
Schemi, preconcetti, esperimenti a doppio cieco. Riflessioni di uno storico
(/isis/citation/CBB147802268/)
Book
Salvatore Esposito;
(2016)
Società Italiana degli Storici della Fisica e dell’Astronomia: Atti del XXXV Convegno annuale / Proceedings of the 35th Annual Conference
(/isis/citation/CBB891255934/)
Book
Damien Janos;
(2012)
Method, Structure, and Development in al-Fārābī’s Cosmology
(/isis/citation/CBB028508118/)
Article
Sakellariou, Vassilis;
(2011)
Restoring Continuity in Theory Change: The Kepler-to-Newton Case
(/isis/citation/CBB001230054/)
Be the first to comment!