
Constellations and Conjectures
Herausgegeben von Humphreys Jr., Williard C.
N.R. Hanson(Author)
Willard C. Humphreys Jr.(Editor)
Kluwer Academic Publishers
Published on 31. March 1973
Book
Hardback
X, 285 pages
978-90-277-0192-3 (ISBN)
Description
An occurrence is explained by being related to prior events through known laws. Other intellectual activities may also constitute explanation - but this much certainly does. Ideally, an explained occurrence (0) could have been predicted in a connected way - by extrapolation from prior events (e) via the same laws (L). Schematically, 1 Explanation: 0 -Lt, 2, 3-(e e e )'-AI t 2 3 01 Prediction: (e e e )I-L , 2, 3_ +.11 t 2 3 t Thus Mars' backward loop in late summer, 1956, is explained by showing how this follows from (e ) its mean distance from sun and earth, (e ) its t 2 mean period of revolution, (e ) its past positions relative to earth, etc. 3 - by way of the laws of Celestial Mechanics (including (Lt) Kepler's Laws and Galileo's, (L2) Newton's, and (L3) those of Laplace and Lagrange. Moreover, this loop (0) could have been predicted from such events (e -e ) via the laws of Celestial Mechanics. t 3 This is an ideal situation. It crystallized late in the history of planetary theory.The Greeks found explanations for heavenly motions: the back ward loops were explained to their satisfaction. But they could not predict these motions, not in terms of Attic explanatory cosmologies.
More details
Series
Edition
1973 ed.
Language
English
Place of publication
Dordrecht
Netherlands
Publishing group
Springer
Target group
Research
Product notice
sewn/stitched
Cloth over boards
Illustrations
X, 285 p.
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
569 gr
ISBN-13
978-90-277-0192-3 (9789027701923)
DOI
10.1007/978-94-010-2498-3
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

N.R. Hanson | Willard C. Humphreys Jr.
Constellations and Conjectures
Book
10/2011
Springer
€160.49
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Content
Book One - Part I.- Cosmological Explanation, B.C..- The Conceptual Content of Book One, Part I.- The Historical Content of Book One, Part I.- Plato.- Eudoxos and 'Plato's Problem'.- Aristotle.- Book One - Part II.- Ptolemy and Prediction.- Pre-Ptolemaic Anticipations.- Three Dimensional Variations of Ptolemy's Technique.- Book Two - Part I.- The Medieval Rediscovery of Ptolemy's Tool Box.- 'The Ptolemaic System'.- Supplementary Material for Book Two, Section A.- Book Two - Part II.- Copernicus' Systematic Astronomy.- Further Aspects of Copernican Astronomy in Contrast to All that had Gone Before.- Supplement to Section on Copernican Theory.- Book Three - Part I.- Kepler and the 'Clean' Idea.- Supplementary Material for Book Three, Part I.