The Physicists' View of Nature, Part 1

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Pierre Duhem

Here, for the first time in English, are the philosophical essays - including the first statement of the "Duhem Thesis" - that formed the basis for Aim and Structure of Physical Theory, together with new translations of the historiographical essays presenting the equally celebrated "Continuity Thesis" by Pierre Duhem (1861-1916), a founding figure of the history and philosophy of science. Prefaced by an introduction on Duhem's intellectual development and continuing significance, here as well are important subsequent essays in which Duhem elaborated key concepts and critiqued such contemporaries as Henri Poincare and Ernst Mach. Together, these works offer a lively picture of the state of science at the turn of the century while addressing methodological issues that remain at the center of debate today.

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Jacques Taminiaux

Appearing for the first time in English, this book by Jacques Taminiaux is a systematic investigation into Hannah Arendt's intellectual relationship to Heidegger, the implications of which are indispensable to understanding the philosophical choices of our times. Contrary to other recent studies on these two figures, Taminiaux claims "that Arendt's two major works... reveal at every page not at all a dependency upon Heidegger... but rather a constant, and increasingly ironic, debate with him." In the process, Heidegger's philosophical work is interpreted in terms of its own political significance.

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Stephen Clucas

"The career of John Dee has played a significant role in recent historiographical debates about the relationship between magic and science in the early modern period. This collection of interdisciplinary essays, which addresses a wide range of Dee's diverse intellectual activities (including mathematics, astronomy, navigation, astrology, alchemy, cabala and "angel magic"), seeks to enlarge the scope of this debate, as well as presenting new archival and bibliographical discoveries relating to Dee and his collaborators and colleagues"--Dust jacket.

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Ronald N. Giere

Many people assume that the claims of scientists are objective truths. But historians, sociologists, and philosophers of science have long argued that scientific claims reflect the particular historical, cultural, and social context in which those claims were made. Ronald Giere investigates this field.