Tale of seven scientists and a new philosophy of science, A
Science Philosophy and science
Oxford University Press
2016
EISBN 019023301X
COVER; A Tale of Seven Scientists and a New Philosophy of Science; COPYRIGHT; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ; CONTENTS ; BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND ; Chapter 1: Introduction ; MARGINAL AND INTERMEDIATE FIGURES IN THE HISTORY OF SCIENCE ; MOVING BEYOND "RIGHT" AND "WRONG" IN SCIENCE ; POSSIBLE OBJECTIONS ; NOTES ; Chapter 2: John Nicholson ; THE WORK ; ACCOUNTING FOR ATOMIC WEIGHTS OF THE ELEMENTS ; ACCOMMODATING THE SPECTRA OF FOUR NEBULA INCLUDING ORION NEBULA ; HOW DID NICHOLSON CALCULATE THE FREQUENCIES OF SPECTRAL LINES? ; NICHOLSON'S CALCULATIONS ON THE SPECTRUM OF THE SOLAR CORONA
NICHOLSON AND PLANCK'S CONSTANT REACTIONS TO WORK OF NICHOLSON ; HOW WAS ANY OF THE SUCCESS POSSIBLE GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS OF NICHOLSON'S THEORY? ; CONCLUSIONS ; NOTES; Chapter 3: Anton Van den Broek ; THE ARTICLE OF 1911 AND A LETTER TO NATURE MAGAZINE ; GOODBYE TO ATOMIC WEIGHT, WELCOME ATOMIC NUMBER ; PREEMPTING MOSELEY ; INTERLUDE ON WHAT BOHR KNEW ABOUT ATOMIC NUMBER ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 4: Richard Abegg ; A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY AND INTRODUCTION ; ABEGG'S EARLY WORK IN ELECTROCHEMISTRY ; WHAT IS A HALF-CELL? ; ABEGG ON VALENCY AND THE PERIODIC TABLE ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES
Chapter 5: Charles Bury ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATIONS ACCORDING TO PHYSICISTS ; Thomson ; BOHR ; KOSSELL ; CONFIGURATIONS ACCORDING TO CHEMISTS ; Lewis ; LANGMUIR ; A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES BURY ; BURY'S WORK ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 6: John D. Main Smith ; SOME CURIOUS ASPECTS OF MAIN SMITH'S WORK ; THE INERT PAIR EFFECT ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 7: Edmund Stoner ; AN INTERLUDE ON BOHR'S THEORY OF THE PERIODIC TABLE ; BOHR'S SECOND THEORY OF THE PERIODIC SYSTEM ; ADIABATIC PRINCIPLE ; STONER'S PAPER ; MAGNETIC EVIDENCE ; CHEMICAL PROPERTIES ; REACTIONS TO STONER'S ARTICLE
HOW STONER'S ARTICLE LED PAULI TO THE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE PRIORITY QUESTION BETWEEN MAIN SMITH AND STONER ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 8: Charles Janet ; JANET ON ATOMIC STRUCTURE AND CHEMISTRY ; JANET ON THE PERIODIC SYSTEM ; THE MADELUNG RULE ; JANET'S LEFT-STEP TABLE IN CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARSHIP ON THE PERIODIC TABLE ; ELEMENTS AS BASIC SUBSTANCES OR AS SIMPLE SUBSTANCES ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 9: Bringing Things Together ; THE NATURE OF SCIENCE AND PRIORITY DISPUTES ; PRIORITY DISPUTES ACCORDING TO ROBERT MERTON ; SIMULTANEOUS OR MULTIPLE DISCOVERY
TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND MULTIPLE DISCOVERY POSSIBLE REASONS FOR MULTIPLE DISCOVERY ; THE THESIS OF UNIVERSAL MULTIPLICITY ; A NEW COTTAGE INDUSTRY. INCONSISTENCY IN SCIENTIFIC THEORIES ; WHAT TO DO? ; INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL INCONSISTENCIES IN THEORIES ; EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES OF SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT ; REVOLUTIONS OR NOT? ; MORE ON MY EVOLUTIONARY VIEW OF SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT ; BACK TO KUHN ; REVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION, CAN KUHN HAVE IT BOTH WAYS? ; CAN KUHN HAVE HIS CAKE AND EAT IT? ; TOULMIN ; CAMPBELL ; NOTES ; INDEX
Scerri discusses several less-recognized scientists who worked throughout the twentieth century, and shows how their contributions were just as key to scientific development as those of more commonly known figures. These include Anton van den Broek, who helped pioneer the atomic number, and Edward Stoner, who was the first to apply the third quantum number to the understanding the physics of the atom. Throughout, Scerri discusses the nature of scientific revolution, arguing that it is the product of a complex community functioning as a single organism.
NICHOLSON AND PLANCK'S CONSTANT REACTIONS TO WORK OF NICHOLSON ; HOW WAS ANY OF THE SUCCESS POSSIBLE GIVEN THE LIMITATIONS OF NICHOLSON'S THEORY? ; CONCLUSIONS ; NOTES; Chapter 3: Anton Van den Broek ; THE ARTICLE OF 1911 AND A LETTER TO NATURE MAGAZINE ; GOODBYE TO ATOMIC WEIGHT, WELCOME ATOMIC NUMBER ; PREEMPTING MOSELEY ; INTERLUDE ON WHAT BOHR KNEW ABOUT ATOMIC NUMBER ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 4: Richard Abegg ; A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY AND INTRODUCTION ; ABEGG'S EARLY WORK IN ELECTROCHEMISTRY ; WHAT IS A HALF-CELL? ; ABEGG ON VALENCY AND THE PERIODIC TABLE ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES
Chapter 5: Charles Bury ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATIONS ACCORDING TO PHYSICISTS ; Thomson ; BOHR ; KOSSELL ; CONFIGURATIONS ACCORDING TO CHEMISTS ; Lewis ; LANGMUIR ; A BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF CHARLES BURY ; BURY'S WORK ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 6: John D. Main Smith ; SOME CURIOUS ASPECTS OF MAIN SMITH'S WORK ; THE INERT PAIR EFFECT ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 7: Edmund Stoner ; AN INTERLUDE ON BOHR'S THEORY OF THE PERIODIC TABLE ; BOHR'S SECOND THEORY OF THE PERIODIC SYSTEM ; ADIABATIC PRINCIPLE ; STONER'S PAPER ; MAGNETIC EVIDENCE ; CHEMICAL PROPERTIES ; REACTIONS TO STONER'S ARTICLE
HOW STONER'S ARTICLE LED PAULI TO THE EXCLUSION PRINCIPLE PRIORITY QUESTION BETWEEN MAIN SMITH AND STONER ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 8: Charles Janet ; JANET ON ATOMIC STRUCTURE AND CHEMISTRY ; JANET ON THE PERIODIC SYSTEM ; THE MADELUNG RULE ; JANET'S LEFT-STEP TABLE IN CONTEMPORARY SCHOLARSHIP ON THE PERIODIC TABLE ; ELEMENTS AS BASIC SUBSTANCES OR AS SIMPLE SUBSTANCES ; CONCLUSION ; NOTES ; Chapter 9: Bringing Things Together ; THE NATURE OF SCIENCE AND PRIORITY DISPUTES ; PRIORITY DISPUTES ACCORDING TO ROBERT MERTON ; SIMULTANEOUS OR MULTIPLE DISCOVERY
TRADITIONAL PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE AND MULTIPLE DISCOVERY POSSIBLE REASONS FOR MULTIPLE DISCOVERY ; THE THESIS OF UNIVERSAL MULTIPLICITY ; A NEW COTTAGE INDUSTRY. INCONSISTENCY IN SCIENTIFIC THEORIES ; WHAT TO DO? ; INTERNAL OR EXTERNAL INCONSISTENCIES IN THEORIES ; EVOLUTIONARY THEORIES OF SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT ; REVOLUTIONS OR NOT? ; MORE ON MY EVOLUTIONARY VIEW OF SCIENTIFIC DEVELOPMENT ; BACK TO KUHN ; REVOLUTION AND EVOLUTION, CAN KUHN HAVE IT BOTH WAYS? ; CAN KUHN HAVE HIS CAKE AND EAT IT? ; TOULMIN ; CAMPBELL ; NOTES ; INDEX
Scerri discusses several less-recognized scientists who worked throughout the twentieth century, and shows how their contributions were just as key to scientific development as those of more commonly known figures. These include Anton van den Broek, who helped pioneer the atomic number, and Edward Stoner, who was the first to apply the third quantum number to the understanding the physics of the atom. Throughout, Scerri discusses the nature of scientific revolution, arguing that it is the product of a complex community functioning as a single organism.
