Experimental Philosophy and the Birth of Empirical Science: Boyle, Locke, and Newton by Michael Ben-Chaim - 2004-09-01

Ashgate, 2004. Hardcover. Near Fine. 24 x 16 cm. Octavo. 222pp. Black cloth, gilt lettering no jacket. Previous owner's bookplate on front fixed endpaper.

Hardback. New. How did empirical research become the cornerstone of modern science? Scholars have traditionally associated empirical research with the search for knowledge, but have failed to provide adequate solutions to this basic historical problem. This book offers a different approach that focuses on human understanding - rather than knowledge - and its cultural expression in the creation and social transaction of causal explanations. Ancient Greek philosophers professed that genuine understanding of a particular subject was gained only when its nature, or essence, was defined. This ancient mode of explanation furnished the core teachings of late medieval natural philosophers, and was reaffirmed by early modern philosophers such as Bacon and Descartes. Yet during the second half of the 17th century, radical transformation gave rise to innovative research practices that were designed to explain how empirical properties of the physical world were correlated. The study unfolded in this book… Read More

Ashgate Pub Ltd, 2004. Hardcover. New. illustrated edition edition. 222 pages. 9.25x6.25x0.75 inches.