Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry

Edited by Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher

Co-editors are leading philosophers of science
"Philosophy of chemistry" is a new and exciting field, and this book has the potential to become the gold standard in the literature

Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry

Edited by Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher

Description

The philosophy of chemistry has emerged in recent years as a new and autonomous field within the Anglo-American philosophical tradition. With the development of this new discipline, Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher's "Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry" is a timely and definitive guide to all current thought in this field. This edited volume will serve to map out the distinctive features of the field and its connections to the philosophies of the natural sciences and general philosophy of science more broadly. It will be a reference for students and professional alike.
Both the philosophy of chemistry and philosophies of scientific practice alike reflect the splitting of analytical and continental scholastic traditions, and some philosophers are turning for inspiration from the familiar resources of analytical philosophy to influences from the continental tradition and pragmatism. While philosophy of chemistry is practiced very much within the familiar analytical tradition, it is also capable of trail-blazing new philosophical approaches. In such a way, the seemingly disparate disciplines such as the "hard sciences" and philosophy become much more linked.

Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry

Edited by Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher

History and philosophy of chemistry

1. Alan Chalmers. Robert Boyle's Corpuscular Chemistry: Atomism before its Time.

2. Nick Best. What was revolutionary about the Chemical Revolution?

3. Kostas Gavroglu & Ana Simões. Philosophical issues in (sub)-disciplinary contexts. The case of quantum chemistry

Reduction and explanation

4. Marina Paola Banchetti-Robino & Jean-Pierre Noël Llored. Reality Without Reification: Philosophy of Chemistry's Contribution to Philosophy of Mind

5. Lee McIntyre. Who's Afraid of Supervenient Laws?

6. Eric Scerri. The changing views of a philosopher of chemistry on the question of reduction.

7. Noretta Koertge. Contingencies in Chemical Explanation

8. Dick Pagni. Reaction mechanisms.

Metaphysical issues

9. Rom Harré. Causality in Chemistry: Regularities and Agencies.

10. Joe Earley. How Properties Hold Together in Substances.

11. Hasok Chang. Scientific Realism and Chemistry.

12. Robin Hendry. Natural Kinds in Chemistry.

Theory and practice

13. Hinne Hettema. Chemistry and the Theoretician's dilemma.

14. Grant Fisher. Divergence, Diagnostics, and a Dichotomy of Methods.

15. Guillermo Restrepo. Mathematical Chemistry, a New Discipline.

16. Rein Vihalemm. The Dual Character of Chemistry.

Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry

Edited by Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher

Author Information

Eric Scerri is a chemist, writer, and philosopher of science. He is a lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles. Grant Fisher is Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Science and Technology Policy at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology.

Contributors:

Alan Chalmers, Nick Best, Kostas Gavroglu, Ana Simões, Marina Paola Banchetti-Robino, Jean-Pierre Noël Llored, Lee McIntyre, Noretta Koertge, Dick Pagni, Rom Harré, Joe Earley, Hasok Chang, Robin Hendry, Hinne Hettema, Guillermo Restrepo, and Rein Vihalemm

Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry

Edited by Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher

Reviews and Awards

"[D]elving deeper is definitely something this book will facilitate. Every essay is extensively referenced. The book will prove an invaluable tool for students new to the field or those digging deep into a particular area that need to construct a reading list to help them gain expertise. As the true target audience of this book, they will not be disappointed." -- Chemistry World

"This is heavy but rewarding reading recommended for upper-division undergraduates and for individuals interested in chemistry, other sciences, history, and philosophy." -- CHOICE

Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry

Edited by Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher

From Our Blog

Who was John David Main Smith?

This blog post concerns a virtually unknown chemist, John David Main Smith, who contributed a significant piece of research in atomic physics in the early 1920s at the time when knowledge of the field was undergoing very rapid changes. Main Smith is so little known that I had to search far and wide for a photograph of him before finally obtaining one from his son who is still living in the south of England.

Posted on March 12, 2016

Read the blog post