Saturday, July 25, 2026 · 天火 · tianmu.org
History and Philosophy of Science
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Texts
Address Delivered Before the British Association Assembled at Belfast — John TyndallJohn Tyndall’s 1874 Belfast address traces scientific naturalism, matter, evolution, consciousness, and the historical relation of science and religion.An Introduction to the History of Science — Walter LibbyWalter Libby's complete illustrated history of science from ancient Egypt and Babylonia through radioactivity, aviation, and democratic culture.Chance, Love, and Logic — Charles S. PeirceCharles S. Peirce’s philosophical essays develop pragmatism, scientific inquiry, probability, continuity, mind, chance, and evolutionary love.Classics of Modern Science — William S. KnickerbockerWilliam S. Knickerbocker’s anthology gathers thirty-six primary selections in astronomy, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, medicine, and scientific method.Daedalus; or, Science and the Future — J. B. S. HaldaneJ. B. S. Haldane considers the future social, moral, and religious consequences of developments in physics, chemistry, energy, and biology.Fact and Fable in Psychology — Joseph JastrowJoseph Jastrow examines occult belief, psychical research, deception, hypnotism, perception, involuntary movement, and dreams in an early psychological collection.Gallio; or, The Tyranny of Science — J. W. N. SullivanJ. W. N. Sullivan examines the authority and limits of scientific explanation in relation to philosophy, art, value, psychology, and spiritual life.Gestalt Psychology — Wolfgang KöhlerWolfgang Köhler presents Gestalt psychology through critiques of behaviorism and introspection and studies of organization, behavior, memory, and insight.Icarus; or, The Future of Science — Bertrand RussellBertrand Russell replies to Haldane by examining how scientific power may amplify political domination, war, organization, and social control.Natural Philosophy — Wilhelm Ostwald — Thomas Seltzer translationWilhelm Ostwald develops a historical philosophy of scientific knowledge, logic, mathematics, physics, biology, mind, and society.On the Philosophy of Discovery — William WhewellWilliam Whewell traces philosophies of knowledge and scientific discovery from antiquity through modern induction, German idealism, and theology.Preliminary Discourse on the Study of Natural Philosophy — John F. W. HerschelJohn F. W. Herschel's complete three-part discourse on scientific method, physical inquiry, and the organization and progress of natural philosophy.Symbolism, Its Meaning and Effect — Alfred North WhiteheadAlfred North Whitehead develops a philosophy of symbolic reference, perception, language, social order, and symbolically conditioned action.The Analysis of Mind — Bertrand RussellBertrand Russell analyzes consciousness, instinct, desire, causation, perception, memory, language, belief, emotion, will, and mind.The Concept of Nature — Alfred North WhiteheadAlfred North Whitehead develops a natural philosophy of events, time, space, motion, objects, relativity, and physical concepts.The Mind and the Brain — Alfred BinetAlfred Binet examines matter, mind, consciousness, psychology, and mind-body theories in a complete historical translation.The Misbehaviorists — Harvey WickhamHarvey Wickham surveys and attacks behaviorism, psychoanalysis, popular science, evolution, eugenics, and secular criticism in a 1928 polemic.The Story of the Mind — James Mark BaldwinJames Mark Baldwin's complete illustrated introduction to introspective, comparative, child, physiological, experimental, educational, and social psychology.