Overview

This collection of primary sources examines scientific methodology in Britain during the long nineteenth century. The nineteenth century begins with what was still a largely Newtonian perspective on the nature of matter and the physical world – Newtonian bodies moving through space, guided by a collection of forces, with gravity foremost among them. By the end of the century, physical science had refocused itself around the concept of energy, the first moves toward the understanding of atomic structure had been undertaken, and electricity and magnetism were understood in terms of fields of force. This volume examines primary sources related to the philosophy of the physical sciences, and will be of great interest to students of the history of philosophy and the history of science.

Full Product Details

Author:   Charles H. Pence
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Weight:   0.860kg
ISBN:  

9781032204949

ISBN 10:   103220494
Pages:   236
Publication Date:   25 September 2025
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Not yet available  
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Table of Contents

Volume 4: Forces, Fields, and Energy: Physical Sciences General Introduction Volume 4 Introduction Part 1: Atoms, Molecules and Forces 1. John Dalton, “On the Constitution of Bodies” and “On Chemical Synthesis” (1808), from Foundations of the Atomic Theory (1893), pp. 27–34 2. John Dalton, “Remarks on the Essay of Dr. Berzelius on the Cause of Chemical Proportions”, Annals of Philosophy, Vol. 3 (1814), pp. 174–180 3. Jacob Berzelius, “An Address to Those Chemists Who Wish to Examine the Laws of Chemical Proportions, and the Theory of Chemistry in General”, Annals of Philosophy, Vol. 10 (1815), pp. 122–131 4. Michael Faraday, “Identity of Electricities Derived from Different Sources”, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 123 (1833), pp. 23–30, 43–53 5. Michael Faraday, “A Speculation Touching Electric Conduction and the Nature of Matter”, Philosophical Magazine, Vol. 24 (1844), pp. 136–144 6. Herman von Helmholtz, “On the Aim and Progress of Physical Science”, in Popular Lectures on Scientific Subjects (1869 [tr. 1885]), pp. 369–375, 382–394 7. James Clerk Maxwell, “On Physical Lines of Force”, Philosophical Magazine, Vol. 21, No. 139 (1861), pp. 161–165 8. James Clerk Maxwell, “Molecules”, Nature, Vol. 8 (1873), pp. 437–441 Part 2: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics 9. Sadi Carnot, “Reflections on the Motive Power of Heat and on Engines Suitable for Developing this Power”, The Second Law of Thermodynamics: Memoirs by Carnot, Clausius, and Thomson (1824 [tr. 1899]), pp. 3–21 10. James Joule, “On Matter, Living Force, and Heat”, in The Scientific Papers of James Prescott Joule, (1847), pp. 265–276 11. Rudolf Clausius, “On the Moving Force of Heat”, in The Mechanical Theory of Heat, with its Applications to the Steam-Engine and to the Physical Properties of Bodies (1850 [tr. 1867]), pp. 14–21, 43–45. 12. William Thomson, “Kinetic Theory of the Dissipation of Energy”, Nature, Vol. 9 (1874), pp. 441–444 Part 3: Models and Reality 13. Heinrich Hertz, Principles of Mechanics (1894 [tr. 1899]), pp. 1–4, 24–41 14. Ludwig Boltzmann, “On the Necessity of Atomic Theories in Physics”, The Monist, Vol. 12, No. 1 (1901), pp. 65–79 15. Ludwig Boltzmann, “Models”, Encyclopaedia Britannica, 10th ed., Vol. 30 (1902), pp. 788–791 Part 4: Time and Space 16. Mary Somerville, Mechanism of the Heavens (1831), pp. v–xv, 4–6, 145–151 17. Ernst Mach, The Science of Mechanics (1883[tr. 1919]), pp. 222–245 18. Albert Einstein, “Maxwell’s Influence on the Development of the Conception of Physical Reality”, in James Clerk Maxwell: A Commemoration Volume, 1831–1931 (1931), pp. 66–73 Bibliography Index

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Author Information

Dr. Charles H. Pence is Assistant Professor and Director of the Center for the Philosophy of Science and Society (CEFISES) at the Université catholique de Louvain in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

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