Read Anywhere and on Any Device!

Subscribe to Read | $0.00

Join today and start reading your favorite books for Free!

Create Free Account

Evidence and Method: Scientific Strategies of Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell

Peter Achinstein

3.8/5 ( ratings)

What is meant by scientific evidence, and how can a definition of this concept be applied in the sciences to determine whether observed facts constitute evidence that a given theory is true?

In this book, Peter Achinstein proposes and defends several objective concepts of evidence. He then explores the question of whether a scientific method, such as that represented in the four Rules for the Study of Natural Philosophy that Isaac Newton invoked in proving his law of gravity, can be
employed in demonstrating how the proposed definitions of evidence are to be applied to real scientific cases. In answering this question, he offers a new interpretation of Newton's controversial rules. Contrary to what many methodologists assume, whether the rules, so interpreted, can be used to
determine whether observed phenomena provide evidence for a theory is an empirical question, not an a priori one. Finally, in order to deal with numerous cases in which evidence is insufficient to establish a theory, or where no theory is even available, Achinstein describes and defends three
scientific methods proposed by the 19th century theoretical physicist James Clerk Maxwell, in the course of developing his electrical and molecular theories.

Language: English

Pages: 192

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Release: April 02, 2013

ISBN: 0199921857

ISBN 13: 9780199921850

Evidence and Method: Scientific Strategies of Isaac Newton and James Clerk Maxwell

Peter Achinstein

3.8/5 ( ratings)

What is meant by scientific evidence, and how can a definition of this concept be applied in the sciences to determine whether observed facts constitute evidence that a given theory is true?

In this book, Peter Achinstein proposes and defends several objective concepts of evidence. He then explores the question of whether a scientific method, such as that represented in the four Rules for the Study of Natural Philosophy that Isaac Newton invoked in proving his law of gravity, can be
employed in demonstrating how the proposed definitions of evidence are to be applied to real scientific cases. In answering this question, he offers a new interpretation of Newton's controversial rules. Contrary to what many methodologists assume, whether the rules, so interpreted, can be used to
determine whether observed phenomena provide evidence for a theory is an empirical question, not an a priori one. Finally, in order to deal with numerous cases in which evidence is insufficient to establish a theory, or where no theory is even available, Achinstein describes and defends three
scientific methods proposed by the 19th century theoretical physicist James Clerk Maxwell, in the course of developing his electrical and molecular theories.

Language: English

Pages: 192

Format: Hardcover

Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA

Release: April 02, 2013

ISBN: 0199921857

ISBN 13: 9780199921850

More books from Peter Achinstein

Science Rules: A Historical Introduction to Scientific Methods

Scientific Evidence: Philosophical Theories and Applications

Scientific Methods: Conceptual and Historical Problems

The Concept Of Evidence

Speculation: Within and About Science

The Book of Evidence

Explanation

Evidence, Explanation, and Realism: Essays in Philosophy of Science

Kelvin's Baltimore Lectures and Modern Theoretical Physics: Historical and Philosophical Perspectives

Particles and Waves: Historical Essays in the Philosophy of Science

Observation, Experiment, and Hypothesis in Modern Physical Science

Law And Explanation:An Essay In The Philosophy Of Science.

Rate this book!

Write a review?