Chemical Discovery and the Logicians' Program : A Problematic Pairing
Editorial Reviews
Review
"...a fascinating book that should be of interest to both chemists and philosophers...could profitably play a key role in a seminar about the methodology or philosophy of chemistry...it is philosophically stimulating and...makes many valuable points...I hope that the book will stimulate future projects..." (Chemical & Engineering News, March 22, 2004)
"...recommended..." (Choice, Vol. 41, No. 8, April 2004)
"...Berson?s newest book has considerable strengths. It is the type of work that should be read by all our colleagues, inside and autside of chemistry." (Stephan J. Weininger, Angewandte Chemie, 2003)
"Chemical Discovery is a fascinating book that should be of interest to both chemists and philosophers. Through insightful analysis of historical examples, Berson's important book will undoubtedly serve as a useful introduction to some of the core philosophical issues about theory testing to students and practitioners of chemistry" (Michael Weisberg, University of Pennsylvania, Chemical Engineering News, 2004)
"Chemical Discovery and the Logician's Program is a welcome addition to the literature of philosophy and history of science from the perspective of a thoughtful practitioner of chemistry." (Carmen J. Giunta, Le Moyne College, Syracuse, NY, Bulletin for the History of Chemistry, 1/2004)
Book Description
What is it that turns a new observation into a true scientific discovery? And who may claim the credit for it? Theoreticians of science, the foremost thinkers of their times among them, have tried to answer these fundamental questions about the nature of scientific progress and discovery.
With clear insight and the chemical as well as philosophical wisdom of more than fifty years as a practicing chemist, Jerome Berson puts their theories to the test. The development of chemistry into a “modern” science during the last two centuries provides him with ample cases to illustrate the way scientific progress really happens.
Kekulé’s struggle to arrive at a structure for benzene, the paradigm change that was necessary to accept the reality of molecular rearrangements, and other episodes are retold here from the philosopher’s as well as from the practitioner’s perspective, shedding light on the way scientists think and act.
Berson’s account of the rather unphilosophical way in which scientific discoveries are made includes the realization that even a false hypothesis, such as Woodward’s ideas about the biosynthesis of st rychnine and many other alkaloids, may help rather than hinder scientific progress.
Scientists of all ages, as well as many non-scientists, will find this book to be highly readable and insightful.
Chemical Discovery and the Logicians' Program : A Problematic Pairing
Chemical Discovery and the Logicians' Program: A Problematic Pairing,Jerome A. Berson,John Wiley & Sons,3527307974,Chemistry - General,Science,Science/Mathematics,Chemistry,History of science,Philosophy of science,Science / Chemistry / General
Books Review:
Recommended Books