Epistemología Africana Y Concepciones Teóricas

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Epistemología Africana Y Concepciones Teóricas ADVERTIMENT. Lʼaccés als continguts dʼaquesta tesi queda condicionat a lʼacceptació de les condicions dʼús establertes per la següent llicència Creative Commons: http://cat.creativecommons.org/?page_id=184 ADVERTENCIA. El acceso a los contenidos de esta tesis queda condicionado a la aceptación de las condiciones de uso establecidas por la siguiente licencia Creative Commons: http://es.creativecommons.org/blog/licencias/ WARNING. The access to the contents of this doctoral thesis it is limited to the acceptance of the use conditions set by the following Creative Commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/?lang=en FACULTAD DE FILOSOFÍA Y LETRAS DEPARTAMENTO DE FILOSOFÍA TESIS DOCTORAL EPISTEMOLOGÍA AFRICANA Y CONCEPCIONES TEÓRICAS. REEVALUAR EL IMPACTO DE LOS PRESUPUESTOS SOBRE LA FILOSOFÍA DE LO REAL Jesús MOLONGWA Bayibayi Directores: Prof. Dr. Víctor GÓMEZ PIN Prof. Dr. Dr. TSHIAMALENGA-Ntumba Año académico 2017 I Dedicatoria A Ekukulu e-a Molongwa, mi padre A María J. Ngo Bayi, mi madre y a sus hijos, mis hermanos y a mis sobrinos. A la juventud africana para que sepa que la investigación científica (y tecnológica) es el motor principal de todo «desarrollo», y la conditio sine qua non et per quam del renacimiento cultural africano. i II Epígrafe «La mayoría de las veces, las divergencias filosóficas no consisten tanto en una diferencia en las concepciones teóricas, cuanto en una diferencia en los puntos de partida, en una diferencia en lo que respeta a los métodos que se utilizan para acercarse a los problemas. El método elegido determina decididamente la concepción teórica que resulta de las investigaciones.» W. STEGMÜLLER, Creer, saber, conocer, Buenos Aires, E. Alfa, 1978, p. 14. «Être philosophe grécologue ne suffit pas. Il faudrait surtout être philosophe-égyptologue, avoir des connaissances approfondies de la Culture Africaine, sous-groupe Culture Pharaonique, avec la Philosophie Thébaine comme domaine de spécialisation. Cette formulation veut dire que la philosophie égyptienne fait partie de l'africanologie, et qu'au sein de l'africanologie, elle fait partie de l'égyptologie.» BILOLO Mubabinge, Fondements thébains de la Philosophie de Plotin, l'Égyptien, Munich-Freising-Kinshasa, PUA, 2007, p. 46. ii III Agradecimientos El presente trabajo es el fruto de nuestra reflexión en vista de la obtención del título de Doctor en Filosofía (PhD) en Barcelona (España). El trabajo está volcado sobre cuestiones epistemológicas africanas y de concepciones teóricas desde los tres ámbitos que nos interesan fundamentalmente en la investigación científica: Filosofía, Ciencia y Egiptología. Bien que sea nuestro, otras personas han contribuido en él de manera directa o indirecta para su realización, y nos han acompañado y animado durante todo este tiempo de formación académica, humana y espiritual. Que encuentren aquí la expresión de nuestra profunda gratitud. Nuestros agradecimientos van primero a los directores de este trabajo, Prof. Dr. Víctor Gómez Pin y Prof. Dr. Dr. Tshiamalenga Ntumba quienes, a pesar de sus intensas ocupaciones, han aceptado dirigir este trabajo. Con ellos hemos aprendido a ser constantes en esta tarea académica nada fácil. Gracias a su espíritu científicamente riguroso y sus instrucciones cualitativas, este trabajo ha llegado a su término. Es una deuda espiritual que jamás se lo podremos recompensar. Con el profesor Gómez Pin hemos aprendido y profundizado mucho sobre cuestiones de la tradición científico-filosófica occidental, con el profesor Tshiamalenga con la tradición científico-filosófica africana y analítica, que traduce la labor común que hemos emprendido en la comprensión, análisis y explicación de las concepciones teóricas. Este trabajo es una prueba de ello, y en la redacción de él, sentimos su mano y las discusiones de horas y horas que han bastado para ello. Agrademos también a los profesores que hemos tenido durante nuestra formación académica. A los profesores Dr. Okolo Okonda W'Oleko, Dr. Mutunda Mwembo, Dr. Kamwiziku Wozol' Apangi, Dr. Mbambi Monga Oliga, Dr. Mbandi Esongi, Dr. Mbolokala Imbuli, Dr. Pangadjandja Owandudinga Kakese, Dr. Mbadu kia Manguedi, Dr. Ngwesya Dondo, Dr. Mukash Kalel, Dr. Mpiutu ne Mbodi, Dr. N'Kwasa Bupele, Dr. Mbungu Mutu, Dr. Mweze Chirhulwire, Dr. Munangeye Nlandu, Dr. Ngwey Ngond'a, Dr. Mudiji Malamba, Dr. Madidi Sumba Mundedi, Dr. Onaotsho Kawende, Dr. Akenda Kapumba, Dr. Ndumba Y'0ole L'Ifefo, Dr. Mayola Mavunza Luanga, iii Dr. Bongo-Pasi Moke Sangol, etc., todos de las universidades de Kinshasa, donde fuimos introducidos y formados en el pensamiento científico, filosófico, y fundamentalmente, en el conocimiento de la cultura africana. Queremos agradecer especialmente a la Profª. Josefina Pía Brisa, con ella hemos aprendido a leer la escritura jeroglífica de los antiguos egipcios; a los profesores Dr. Josep Cervelló, Dr. José Lull, Dr. Alberto J. Quevedo, todos de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona; al Prof. Dr. José Manuel Galán, investigador del CSIC, al Prof. Dr. Juan Carlos Moreno García, investigador de CNRC; a la Profª. Dra. Gwenola Graff, del IRD, al Prof. Dr. José Miguel Serrano Delgado, de la Universidad de Sevilla, al Prof. Dr. Francisco Bosch-Puche, de la University of Oxford; al Prof. Dr. Francisco L. Borrego, a la Profª. Dra. María José López Grande, de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid; a la Profª. Dra. María del Carmen Pérez Die, al Prof. Dr. Francisco José De Rueda, a la Dra. Miriam Seco, por sus lecciones de egiptología y coptología. Todos estos profesores y otros, siguen contribuyendo enormemente al conocimiento científico de la cultura nilótica en el mundo hispano, y del impacto que tuvo aquella sobre este último. Un hecho formidable e incontestable. Cabe mencionar a los profesores Dr. Kalamba Nsapo, de la Université Protestante de Belgique, Dr. Grégoire Biyogo, de la Université Sorbonne, por animarnos y enviarnos documentaciones. A los profesores Dr. Bimwenyi- Kweshi, Dr. Mufuta Kabemba y Dr. Ph. Mukendi Tshimuanga, por confiar en nosotros; al profesor Dr. Carlos Ulises Moulines, de la Universität München, por sus consejos en epistemología de las ciencias. Al profesor Dr. John Searle por sus lecciones sobre la intencionalidad aplicada a la teoría de la construcción de la realidad social impartida en la Cátedra Ferrater Mora del Pensamiento Contemporáneo (Universitat de Girona). Al profesor Dr. Bilolo Mubabinge, del INADEP, siempre atento a nuestras inquietudes científicas, epistemológicas, filosóficas y egiptológicas; con él hemos ahondado más sobre la cultura africana (Lengua, Religión y Pensamiento) y, sigue, aunque desde otras latitudes, estimulándonos a la investigación científica. Los profesores Tshiamalenga y Bilolo pusieron a mi disposición algunos de sus trabajos inéditos para que los pueda citar en el nuestro, y también fueron ellos quienes me propusieron trabajar en esta línea de investigación científica. Esta vía de investigación científica está animada por el Mons. Prof. Dr. Tshibangu Tshishiku, rector honorario de las Universidades de la R. D. Congo, rector del INADEP y presidente del consejo de la administración de las universidades de la R. D. Congo. iv Agradecemos también a todos los profesores que hemos tenido en el Máster de Retos de la Filosofía Contemporánea del Departamento de Filosofía de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona. Con ellos se ha percatado la «racionalidad pluralista» y el diálogo fructífero entre la filosofía y las otras ciencias. Las cuestiones allí planteadas demuestran la actualidad y la eficacia de la reflexión filosófica para nuestro tiempo, sobre todo en lo que concierne a la Ciencia, al Arte y a la Política. Especial mención a los profesores Dra. Olga Fernández Prat y Dr. Daniel Quesada por las lecciones en epistemología y ciencias cognitivas, a los profesores Dr. Thomas Sturm y Dra. Mónica Delgado por las lecciones en Historia y Filosofía de la Ciencia. Mencionar también a los profesores Dr. Onaotsho Kawende, de la Université Catholique du Congo, Dr. Jordi Valor Abad y Dr. Augusto Iyanga Pendi, de la Universidad de Valencia, Dr. Sixto J. Castro, de la Universidad de Valladolid, y a Inongo vi Makome por sus consejos. Finalmente quisiéramos agradecer a la Provincia de Hispania de la Orden de Predicadores (Dominicos), que por la preocupación de nuestra formación ha puesto a nuestra disposición todos los medios necesarios para que podamos llevar a buen puerto nuestros estudios e investigaciones. Agradecer también a nuestros compañeros de ruta, y sobre todo, a las amistades que hemos ganado en especial a Alicia Rodríguez Campí, Alger Sans Pinillos, Luis González-Mérida y Arie Karaso, por nuestros mutuos apoyos en esta empresa académica. Es alentador encontrase con gente de bien en esta vida de transeúntes y de proceso que somos. A Roberto Okón Pokó, Francisco Panera, E. Oko Kongwe (Vyanga), Dr. Jesús Díaz Sariego, Dr. Juan Antonio Tudela, Dr. Martín Gelabert, Dr. Vicente Botella, Dr. Francisco Javier Carballo, A. Mosanga Motanga, Masambala Beningo Oko, José E. Ikaka (Isongo), Binda Ikaka Banganga, Inocencio Moiché Solebaba, Noé Sii Nguema, Felipe Echube Oki, José Ramón Botoko Bori, Doris Balya Kama, Balembe Iyanga, Sebastián Vera, Laercio Amorín, Salvador Nguema, Canuto Elobé Echube, Doris Kama wa Balya, Mar Cuppari, Marcelino Bondyale Oko, Brigida Epitié Ngonde (Mwesa), Mololo Roku Muana, Isati Roku Mbunya, Nikul Oko Iyanga, Nana Obugase Mbunya, Ángela Lecha Velasco, Naty Sánchez, Marcel Bikongnyuy Gham, Christian Wolferts, Asami Kihara, Eun Seon Jo, Gwang Ho Oh, María Rosa Andorrà, Gloria
Recommended publications
  • A Bibliography on Christianity in Ethiopia Abbink, G.J
    A bibliography on Christianity in Ethiopia Abbink, G.J. Citation Abbink, G. J. (2003). A bibliography on Christianity in Ethiopia. Asc Working Paper Series, (52). Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/1887/375 Version: Not Applicable (or Unknown) License: Leiden University Non-exclusive license Downloaded from: https://hdl.handle.net/1887/375 Note: To cite this publication please use the final published version (if applicable). African Studies Centre Leiden, the Netherlands ,, A Bibliography on Christianity in Eth J. Abbink ASC Working Paper 52/2003 Leiden: African Studies Centre 2003 © J. Abbink, Leiden 2003 Image on the front cover: Roof of the lih century rock-hewn church of Beta Giorgis in Lalibela, northern Ethiopia 11 Table of contents . Page Introduction 1 1. Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity and Missionary Churches: Historical, Political, Religious, and Socio-cultural Aspects 8 1.1 History 8 1.2 History of individual churches and monasteries 17 1.3 Aspects of doctrine and liturgy 18 1.4 Ethiopian Christian theology and philosophy 24 1.5 Monasteries and monastic life 27 1.6 Church, state and politics 29 1. 7 Pilgrimage 31 1.8 Religious and liturgical music 32 1.9 Social, cultural and educational aspects 33 1.10 Missions and missionary churches 37 1.11 Ecumenical relations 43 1.12 Christianity and indigenous (traditional) religions 44 1.13 Biographical studies 46 1.14 Ethiopian diaspora communities 47 2. Christian Texts, Manuscripts, Hagiographies 49 2.1 Sources, bibliographies, catalogues 49 2.2 General and comparative studies on Ethiopian religious literature 51 2.3 On saints 53 2.4 Hagiographies and related texts 55 2.5 Ethiopian editions and translations of the Bible 57 2.6 Editions and analyses of other religious texts 59 2.7 Ethiopian religious commentaries and exegeses 72 3.
    [Show full text]
  • Marshall Clagett (1916–2005)
    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Elsevier - Publisher Connector Historia Mathematica 34 (2007) 261–265 www.elsevier.com/locate/yhmat In Memoriam Marshall Clagett (1916–2005) Marshall Clagett receives the International Galileo Galilei Prize for Contributions to the History of Science in Italy (Pisa, 6 October, 1996). When Marshall Clagett died on 21 October 2005, the scholarly world lost not only a distinguished medievalist, but the last member of a triumvirate who had after World War II established the history of science as a recognized discipline within American universities. For, together with Henry Guerlac and I. Bernard Cohen, Clagett during these years indulged in what the historian of medicine Richard Shryock called “spreading the gospel.” Marshall Clagett was born on 23 January 1916 in Washington, DC. He began his university studies in 1933 at the California Institute of Technology, in two years transferring to George Washington University, where, in 1937, he received the A.B. and A.M. degrees. Clagett then entered Columbia University, where his historical interests ini- tially lay in Byzantium, specifically in the 15th-century scholar Georgios Scholarios. But, under the tutelage of Lynn Thorndike, he soon switched to 15th-century Latin science and published in 1941 his doctoral dissertation, Giovanni Marliani and Late Medieval Physics. In the same year that he received his Ph.D., Clagett entered the U.S. Navy, rising from ensign to lieutenant com- mander, and serving in the Pacific, especially on Okinawa. Following his discharge in 1946, he returned to Columbia as an instructor in the History Department, lecturing and publishing in Columbia’s Program in Contemporary Civi- 0315-0860/2006 Published by Elsevier Inc.
    [Show full text]
  • I^Isitorical Hs^Gociation
    American i^isitorical Hs^gociation EIGHTY-THIRD ANNUAL MEETING ifc NEW YORK CITY HEADQUARTERS: STATLER HILTON HOTEL DECEMBER 28, 29, 30 Bring this program with you Extra copies SO cents Virginia: Bourbonism to Byrd, 1870-1925 By Allen W. Moger, Professor of History, Washington and Lee Uni versity. Approx. 400 pp., illiis., index. 63/^ x ps/^. L.C. 68-8yp8. $y.yo This general history of Virginia from its restoration to the Union in 1870 to the election of Harry Flood Byrd as governor in 1925 illuminates the tools and conceptions of government which originated during the impoverished and bitter years after the Civil War and which remained useful and vital well into the twentieth century. Westmoreland Davis: Virginia Planter—Politician, 1859-1942 By Jack Temple Kirby, Assistant Professor of History, Miami University, via, 21 y pp., fontis., ilins., index. 6 x p L.C. 68-22yyo. 55.75 Mr. Kirby's biography of this distinguished twentieth-century Virginia gov ernor, reformer, agricultural leader, lobbyist, publisher, and opponent of the state Democratic machine is a fresh interpretation of the progressive era in Virginia. Westmoreland Davis's life illuminates the role of agrarians and the influence of scientific methodology, efficiency techniques, and Democratic fac tionalism in Virginia's government as well as the rise and early career of Harry Byrd. Old Virginia Restored: An Interpretation of the Progressive Impulse, 1870-1930 By Raym )nd H. Puli.ey, Assistant Professor of History, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Approx. 224 pp., illits. 6 x p. L.C. 68-8ypp. Price to be announced.
    [Show full text]
  • Media Ethics
    Media Ethics A Training Material Compiled By Nigussie Meshesha Mitike (PhD) Associate Professor of of Journalism and Communication (Political and Development Communication) School of Journalism and Communication Addis Ababa University A Training Programme Prepared by Construction Sector Transparency Initiative- Ethiopia For Journalist drawn from Various Media Addis Ababa May 23/2019 1 Table Contents 1.1. What is Ethics?……………………………………………………… 1.2. Western Ethical Traditions ………………………………………… 1.2.1. Natural law Tradition…………………………………………………. 1.2.2. The Aristotelian Tradition..…………………………………………….. 1.2.3. David Hume ………….……………………………………………….. 1.2.4. Immanueal Kant ……………………………………………………………… 1.2.5. Jeremy Bentham……………………………………………………………… 1.2.6. John Stuart Mill…………………………………………………………………. 1.2.7. Ethiopian Ethical Tradition ………………………………………………. 1.2.8. Ethical Theories……………………………………………………………. 1.2.9. Teleological Theory…………………………………………………………… 1.2.10. Consequentialism Theory…………………………………………………… 1.2.11. Utilitarianism Theory………………………………………………………… 1.2.12. Deontological Theory………………………………………………………… 1.2.13. Virtue theory…………………………………………………………………. 2. Journalistic Ethics and Principles……………………………………………… 2.1.1. Rationale and Evolution of Journalistic Ethics……………………………… 2.1.2. Media Ethics in Democracy………………………………………………….. 2.1.3. Role of Journalism and its Ethical Perspectives in Society…………………… 2.1.4. Functions of Journalism in Society…………………………………………… 2.1.5. Journalists Responsibilities…………………………………………………… 2.1.6. Principles of Journalism……………………………………………………….
    [Show full text]
  • Catalogue 124: Natural History, Botany and Gardening
    C. Arden, Bookseller Darren Bloodworth The Nursery, Forest Road, Hay-on-Wye, HR3 5DT, U.K. Tel: +44 (0) 1497-820471 Email: [email protected] Web: www.ardenbooks.co.uk Catalogue No. 124 – Sale, Special Offers and Recent Acquisitions Sale items : Botany 1 - 49 Entomology 50 - 77 Gardening 78 - 108 General 109 - 136 Natural History & Zoology 137 - 176 Ornithology 177 - 201 Special offers : Botany 202 - 284 and recent Entomology 285 - 321 acquisitions Fine, Illustrated & Antiquarian 322 - 343 Gardening 344 - 426 Natural History & Zoology 427 - 482 New Naturalists : Main Series 483 - 503 New Naturalists : Monographs 504 - 516 Ornithology 517 - 638 Marine 639 - 689 The stock in the Sale part of this catalogue (items 1 to 201) is an attempt to clear the remains of stock from the year’s previous catalogues. Book prices have already been reduced in many cases and further reductions are available to those who wish to take a risk that their chosen books will be available 10 or even 20 days after receiving this catalogue. Books will be dispatched once orders are complete – this may take up to three weeks if you order books at 50% off. How the Sale works First 10 days of sale…….All books available at prices shown in the catalogue After 10 days……………..If books are still available, we reduce their prices by 25% After 20 days……………..If books are still available, we reduce their prices by 50% We have also included almost five hundred Special offers and recent acquisitions at the end of the catalogue (items 202 to 689). These Special offers and recent acquisitions are available at the prices indicated and are not part of the Sale terms.
    [Show full text]
  • La Filosofia Cf~Tica
    LA FILOSOFIACF~TICA AFRICANA Francesc-Xavier Marín Hi ha moltes classificacions possibles del pensament filosdfic elaborat a Africa. La primera que es va elabo- rar, pero, distingia simplement entre l'etnofilosofia i la filosofia m'tica. En aquest article s 'examinen les propos- tes dels principals autors de lfescola mítica, que parlen dfunafilosofia professional basada en la raó i el discurs; és a dir, en la conceptualització a partir de l'experitncia africana propia del moment present. Davant de l'escola etnofilosofica, aquests autors defensen que no hi ha filo- 137 sofia sense reflexió explícita, analítica, radicalment crí- tica i autocrítica, sistematica i referida a lfexperikncia. Només els poetes mal educats miden a la lluna mentre la soga envolta el col1 dels qui van néixer lliures. Canta per a mi cant de lamentació, de llagrimes i horror. Cants funeraris impresos de la dura realitat de la nostrn nació esquarterada. Que el nostre cant sigui tan dur corn el preu del nostre aliment! Niiyi Osundare 1. Filosofia, ciencia i debat: la filosofia com a disci- plina teorica Paulin Hountondjil distingeix dos corrents dins del camp del lpaulin Hountondji, nascut a Abidjan (Costa dlIvori) el 1942, adopta la nacio- nalitat beninesa en aconseguir la independencia l'antic Dahomey. Estudia filosofia a París i completa la seva formació amb cursos de psicologia, etica, sociologia, llatí i pensament africa: *El més antic i dominant té per objecte reconstruir el sistema de pensament col.lectiu dlAfrica o, més concretament, el de cada Ptnia, és l'anomenada etnofilosofia2. Segons Hountondji és una filosofia en tercera persona que es refugia rere el pensament del grup per evitar definir-se.
    [Show full text]
  • The Significance of Philosophic Sagacity in African Philosophy
    V THE SIGNIFICANCE OF PHILOSOPHIC SAGACITY IN AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY *rnR BY oiSlVERSlTt ubua^ ‘ FREDERICK OCHIENG'-ODHIAMBO Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of Philosophy of the University of Nairobi, 1994 UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI LIBRARY ®*7©o vMvDmJV JSV3 1 b This thesis is my original work and has not been presented for a degree in any other University. Frederick Ochieng' - Odhiambo This thesis has been submitted for examination with my approval as a University Supervisor. -• f - ‘7"/ Prof. H. Odera Oruka Department of Philosophy . University of Nairobi v c TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication ............................................................................................................................................... i Acknowledgements ............................................................................................................................ii Abstract ......................................................................................................................................... iv Introduction ...........................................................................................................................................1 Chapter One: Rationale of the Study ..........................................................................................6 1.1 Statement of the Research Problem ......................................................................................... 6 1.2 Research Objectives ....................................................................................................................9
    [Show full text]
  • A History of Islamic Philosophy Free Download
    A HISTORY OF ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY FREE DOWNLOAD Majid Fakhry | 472 pages | 31 Oct 2004 | Columbia University Press | 9780231132213 | English | New York, United States History of Islamic Philosophy Moses on Black Nationalism. Whereas existence is the domain of the contingent and the accidental, essence endures within a being beyond the accidental. If all the Islamic teachings are analysed, they can be summed up as monotheism, and if monotheism is expanded, it encompasses all these teachings. Ibn al-Nafis wrote the Theologus Autodidactus as a A History of Islamic Philosophy of "the system of Islam and the Muslims' doctrines on the missions of Prophets, the religious laws, the resurrection of the body, and the transitoriness of the world. As a rule every school expresses its view about the causes of the progress and the decline of societies. Surely evil was what they used to do. The second A History of Islamic Philosophy, the "argument from the impossibility of completing an actual infinite by successive addition", states: [26]. Skinner on Machiavelli. However, a fair amount of material is now available, either in good editions or manuscripts, A History of Islamic Philosophy the collation of the two should make interpretation relatively accurate. He criticized the logical school of Baghdad for their devotion to Aristotle at the time. The Proclus Revival. Ibn Rushd and the Defense of Aristotelianism. Early Ethiopian Philosophy. Trivia About History of Islami In metaphysicsAvicenna Ibn Sina defined truth as:. The historiography A History of Islamic Philosophy Islamic philosophy is marked by disputes as to how the subject should be properly interpreted.
    [Show full text]
  • Structuring American Solid State Physics, 1939–1993 A
    Solid Foundations: Structuring American Solid State Physics, 1939–1993 A DISSERTATION SUBMITTED TO THE FACULTY OF THE GRADUATE SCHOOL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA BY Joseph Daniel Martin IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Michel Janssen, Co-Advisor Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, Co-Advisor May 2013 © Joseph Daniel Martin 2013 Acknowledgements A dissertation is ostensibly an exercise in independent research. I nevertheless struggle to imagine completing one without incurring a litany of debts—intellectual, professional, and personal—similar to those described below. This might be a single-author project, but authorship is just one of many elements that brought it into being. Regrettably, this space is too small to convey full appreciation for all of them, but I offer my best attempt. I am foremost indebted to my advisors, Michel Janssen and Sally Gregory Kohlstedt, for consistent encouragement and keen commentary. Michel is one of the most incisive critics it has been my pleasure to know. If the arguments herein exhibit any subtlety, clarity, or grace it is in no small part because they steeped in Michel’s witty and weighty marginalia. I am grateful to Sally for the priceless gift of perspective. She has never let my highs carry me too high, or my lows lay me too low, and her selfless largess, bestowed in time and wisdom, has challenged me to become a humbler learner and a more conscientious colleague. My committee has enriched my scholarly life in ways that will shape my thinking for the rest of my career. Bill Wimsatt, a true intellectual force multiplier, lent me his peerless ability to distill insight from scholarship in any field.
    [Show full text]
  • The Legacy of James Clerk Maxwell and Herrmann Von Helmholtz Peter Skiff Bard College
    Bard College Bard Digital Commons Faculty Books & Manuscripts Bard Faculty Publications 2016 The hP ysicist - Philosophers: The Legacy of James Clerk Maxwell and Herrmann von Helmholtz Peter Skiff Bard College Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.bard.edu/facbooks Part of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Philosophy of Science Commons, and the Physics Commons Recommended Citation Skiff, Peter, "The hP ysicist - Philosophers: The Legacy of James Clerk Maxwell and Herrmann von Helmholtz" (2016). Faculty Books & Manuscripts. 1. http://digitalcommons.bard.edu/facbooks/1 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Bard Faculty Publications at Bard Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Books & Manuscripts by an authorized administrator of Bard Digital Commons. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE PHYSICIST - PHILOSOPHERS The Legacy of James Clerk Maxwell and Herrmann von Helmholtz Peter Skiff Bard College, 2016 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This work was begun 25 years into a 50 year career at Bard College. This position gave me access to an extraordinary range of exceptional faculty, distinguished visiting scholars, and brilliant student researchers, all of whom inspired and informed im investigating academic fields I pursued: mathematical physics and the history and philosophy of science. In addition the editors of the American Library Association’s Choice magazine provided literally hundreds of books for review for college libraries. It is from this trove of ideas and information I have been assembling this book. I am particularly grateful to particular advice and information from Hannah Arendt, Heinrich Bluecher, Irma Brandeis, and A.
    [Show full text]
  • Lost Discoveries: the Ancient Roots of Modern Science--From The
    V COVER e Ancient .Roots oi JVLoaern ocience from the Babvl s to the May DICK TERES U.S. $27.00 Can. $41.00 Lost Discoveries, DickTeresi s innovative history of science, explores the unheralded scientific breakthroughs from peoples of the ancient world— Babylonians, Egyptians, Indians, Africans, New World and Oceanic tribes, among others—and the non-European medieval world. They left an enormous heritage in the fields of mathematics, astronomy, cosmology, physics, geology, chemistry, and technology. The mathematical foundation of Western science is a gift from the Indians, Chinese, Arabs, Babylonians, and Maya. The ancient Egyptians developed the concept of the lowest common denominator, and they developed a fraction table that modern scholars estimate required 28,000 calculations to compile. The Babylonians developed the first written math and used a place-value number system. Our numerals, 0 through 9, were invented in ancient India; the Indians also boasted geometry, trigonometry, and a kind of calculus. Planetary astronomy as well may have begun with the ancient Indians, who correctly identified the relative distances of the known planets from the sun, and knew the moon was nearer to the earth than the sun was. The Chinese observed, reported, dated, recorded, and inter­ preted eclipses between 1400 and 1200 B.C. Most of the names of our stars and constellations are Arabic. Arabs built the first observatories. Five thousand years ago, the Sumerians said the earth was circular. In the sixth century, a Hindu astronomer taught that the daily rotation of the earth on its axis provided the rising and setting of the sun.
    [Show full text]
  • History of Science Society Newsletter January 2002
    ISSN 0739-4934 NEWSLETTER HISTORY m oF sciENCE VOLUME 31 NUMBER 1 January 2002 SOCIETY LETTER FROM THE P RESIDENT John W. Servos, Amherst College he volumes of Isis on my shelf tell me membership in the HSS is less expensive fund such vital publications as the Current T that I joined the History of Science today than it was in 1975 when measured in Bibliography and the Guide to the Profession Society in 1975. I don't recall the exact inflation-adjusted dollars. Comparison of (the next edition ofwhich we hope to publish circumstances but am pretty sure that it was the HSS with other scholarly societies later this year). a shot in the dark. I then knew little about the reinforces the conclusion that membership We sought an endowment in order history of science and even less about the in the HSS is a bargain. In preparing this to insure that membership in the Society HSS. As it turns out, it was a lucky shot. The letter, I visited the Web sites ofsixteen other would continue to be accessible to a wide benefits of membership quickly repaid the scholarly societies, picking most ofthe names circle ofscholars and to give the Society the very modest expense. For student dues of off the list of our sisters in the American flexibility to serve its members and the nine dollars, the Society sent me a journal Council of Learned Societies. Six of these profession in creative ways. It has served full of reviews and articles that opened new organizations offer individual members flat these purposes well.
    [Show full text]