Copernicus, Darwin, Freud
Revolutions in the History and Philosophy of Science
Published on 10. October 2008
Book
Paperback/Softback
296 pages
978-1-4051-8183-9 (ISBN)
Description
Scientific ideas change the way we think about the world and our place in it. Nicolaus Copernicus developed a heliocentric view of the cosmos that displaced humans from the physical center of the universe. Charles Darwin developed an evolutionary theory that placed humans firmly within the organismic order of nature. It was Sigmund Freud who saw himself as completing this cycle of disparagement by destroying the belief that humans were 'masters in their own house'.
Copernicus, Darwin and Freud: Revolutions in the History and Philosophy of Science deals with issues in the area of intersection between history and philosophy of natural and social science. Using Copernicanism, Darwinism and Freudianism as extended case studies, Friedel Weinert illustrates the profound connections between science and philosophy and shows how scientific theories invariably have philosophical consequences. Philosophical controversies surrounding ideas of human nature, realism and instrumentalism, models and theories, laws of nature and scientific method are all examined within the context of concrete problem situations in the history of science.
Copernicus, Darwin and Freud is an engaging and versatile text suitable for a variety of courses in the history and philosophy of science or for individual study.
Reviews / Votes
"Whether used as a textbook or as a review of issues concerning scientific revolutions and theory change in their historical context, Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud may be strongly recommended." (The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science, 2011) "Those seeking a more conventional approach to the history and philosophy of science may well find Weinert's book informative...there is much to be learned from Weinert's comparison of Copernicus, Darwin, and Freud." (Science & Education, January 2011)More details
Edition
1. Auflage
Language
English
Place of publication
Hoboken
United Kingdom
Publishing group
John Wiley and Sons Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Dimensions
Height: 248 mm
Width: 172 mm
Thickness: 23 mm
Weight
527 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-4051-8183-9 (9781405181839)
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
E-Book
03/2009
Wiley-Blackwell
€29.99
Available for download
Book
10/2008
Wiley
€126.50
Shipment within 3-4 weeks
Person
Friedel Weinert is Professor of Philosophy at Bradford University and a former Visiting Research Fellow at Harvard University and Visiting Fellow at the Centre for the Philosophy of Natural and Social Science at the LSE in London. He holds a PhD in Philosophy, a BA in Sociology, and a BSc in Physics. Dr. Weinert is the editor of Laws of Nature (1995), the author of The Scientist as Philosopher (2004) and chief editor of the forthcoming Compendium of Quantum Physics: Concepts, Experiments, History and Philosophy.
Content
General Introduction.
I. Nicolaus Copernicus: The Loss of Centrality.
I. 1 Ptolemy and Copernicus.
I. 2 A Clash of two Worldviews.
I. 3 The Heliocentric Worldview.
I. 4 Copernicus was not a Scientific Revolutionary.
I. 5 The Transition to Newton.
I. 6 Some Philosophical Lessons.
I. 7 Copernicus and Scientific Revolutions.
I. 8 The Anthropic Principle: A Reversal of the Copernican Turn?.
II. Charles Darwin: The Loss of Rational Design.
II. 1 Darwin and Copernicus.
II. 2 Views of Organic Life.
II. 3 Fossil Discoveries.
II. 4 Darwin's Revolution.
II. 5 Philosophical Matters.
II. 5.2 From Biology to the Philosophy of Mind.
II. 5. 3 The Loss of Rational Design.
II. 5.4 Intelligent Design.
II. 6 A Question of Method.
II. 6.1 Darwinian Inferences.
II. 6. 2 Philosophical Empiricism.
II. 6. 3 Some Principles of Elimination.
II. 6.4 Essential Features of Eliminative Inductivism.
II. 6.5 Falsifiability or Testability?.
II. 6.6 Explanation and Prediction.
II. 6.6 Some Models of Explanation - Functional Model, Causal Model, Structural Model.
II. 6. 7 A Brief Return to Realism.
II. 6. 8 Darwin and Scientific Revolutions.
II. 6. 8. 1 Philosophical Consequences.
III. Freud: The Loss of Transparency.
III. 1 Copernicus, Darwin and Freud.
III. 2 Some Views of Humankind.
III. 3 Scientism and the Freudian Model of Personality.
III. 4 The Social Sciences beyond Freud.
III. 5 Evolution and the Social Sciences.
III. 6 Freud and Revolutions in Thought.
Essay Questions