An Introduction to the History and Philosophy of Science

Cover
Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: Introduction
	1.1 The History of Science
		Science as a Process
	1.2 Philosophy of Science or Science as Logic of Ideas
Chapter 2: Origins of Scientific Enquiry
	2.1 The Palaeolithic (Old Stone) Age
	2.2 The Neolithic (New Stone) Age
	2.3 The Bronze Age
	2.4 The Emergence of Civilizations
		The Tigris-Euphrates Valley
		The Nile Valley
		The Indus Valley
		Early China
Chapter 3: European Origins of Science
	3.1 Ionia and the Early Greek Contributions
		The Birth of Natural Philosophy
		The Pythagorean School
		Greek Atomism
		Greek Medicine
	3.2 Athens and the Classical Greece
		The Decline of Athens
	3.3 A Thousand Years of Alexandria (CA. 322 BC–642 AD)
		A Little History
		Mathematics in Alexandria
		Astronomy in Alexandria
		Medical Sciences in Alexandria
	3.4 The Roman Contribution to Science
		Julian Calendar
		Mathematics
Chapter 4: Contributions of Early India
	4.1 Science in the Vedas
		Mathematics
		Vedic Astronomy
		Vedic Medicine
		Scientific Thoughts in the Vedas
		The Atomic Theory
	4.2 Golden Age of Indian Science
		Medical Sciences
		Psychology and Psychosomatic Techniques
		Chemistry and Metallurgy
		Mathematics and Astronomy
Chapter 5: Science in China
	5.1 Early History
	5.2 Astronomy and Mathematics
	5.3 Medicine
	5.4 Chemistry
	5.5 Conclusion
Chapter 6: The Role of the Arabs in the History of Science
	6.1 Historical Background
		The Dark Age in Europe
		The Rise of Islam
	6.2 Arabic Science
		Chemistry or Alchemy
		Physics
		Mathematics
		Astronomy
		Medicine
	6.3 The Transfer of Knowledge from the East to the West
		The Historical Role of the Arabs
		The Shift in Islamic Liberalism from the East to the West
		Arab Traders and the Transfer of Technology
	6.4 European Science in the Middle Ages
		New Beginnings
		Science and the Monastic Orders
	6.5 Conclusion—The Signs of the Coming Dawn
Chapter 7: Science in the Middle Ages
	7.1 Europe (1450–1550)
	7.2 The Fall of the Aristotelean Universe: Bruno, Copernicus, and Galileo
		Giordano Bruno—the Martyr
		Galileo—the Father of Modern Science
	7.3 Medical Sciences
		Medical Chemistry
	7.4 Advancement in India
		The Spread of Indian Science
	7.5 Modern Scientific Outlook
		Gilbert, Bacon, and the Experimental Method
	7.6 Descartes (1596–1650)
	7.7 Conclusion
Chapter 8: Newton and After
	8.1 A Century of Genius
	8.2 The Newtonian Synthesis
		The Life of Newton
	8.3 The Great Contemporaries of Newton
		Observational Astronomy
		Physical Optics
		The Structure of Matter
	8.4 Mathematics
	8.5 The Century After Newton
		Mechanics
		Astronomy
		The Structure of Matter
	8.6 Industrial Revolution and its Impact on Science
	8.7 The Mechanistic Universe and Scientific Determinism
	8.8 The French Revolution—The Idea of Progress
		Science and the French Revolution
Chapter 9: The Advancing Frontiers: Modern Medicine to Nanotechnology
	9.1 The Emergence of Modern Medicine
		Advances in Anatomy and Surgery
		Impact of Modern Science on Healing
		Germ Theory and the Birth of Microbiology
		The New Frontiers in Medicine
	9.2 Frontiers in Biology
		Linnaeus and Scientific Taxonomy
		Biology after Darwin
		The Architecture of Life
		The Human Genome Project: The Book of Life
		Biotechnology
		Support to Evolution from Genetics
		The Secret of Life
	9.3 A Paradigm Shift in Physical Sciences
		The Breakdown of Classical Physics
		Electron and the Atom
		Rutherford and Radioactive Transformations
		Planck and the Early Quantum Theory
		The Rutherford–Bohr Atom
	9.4 The New Quantum Theory
		Wave Mechanics
		The Uncertainty Principle
	9.5 Development of Nuclear Physics
		The Mechanical Models
		Nuclear Fission
	9.6 IT, BT, and NT—The Frontier Technologies
		Information Technology
		Nanotechnology
		Cosmic Rays and Fundamental Particles
		From the Very Small to the Very Large
Chapter 10: Basic Concepts in the Philosophy of Science
	10.1 Introduction
	10.2 Some Fundamental Questions
		What is Science?
		Science and Pseudo-science
	10.3 Scientific Reasoning
		Deduction and Induction
		Probability and Induction
		Inference
	10.4 Scientific Explanation
		Models of Explanations
	10.5 The Components of Science
		Observation and Measurement
		Experimentation
		Interpretation and Theory
	10.6 Realism and Anti Realism
		Theories and Models
	10.7 Reductionism and Unity of Science
		Unity of Science
		Reductionism
Chapter 11: Some Issues in the Philosophy of Science
	11.1 Scientific Change and Scientific Revolutions
		Inductivism
		Criticisms of Inductivism
		Falsificationism
	11.2 Paradigms and Research Programmes
		Paradigms
		Research Programme Approach
	11.3 Research Traditions (or Problem-Solving) Model
	11.4 Technologism
		Science and Technology
	11.5 Philosophical Problems in Physics, Biology, and Psychology
		Some Philosophical Problems in Physics
		Some Philosophical Problems in Biology
		Some Philosophical Problems in Psychology
	11.6 Science and Values
		Values About Science and Within Science
		Scientism and Scientific Temper
	11.7 Science and Religion
	11.8 Science and Society
		Science as Sexist
		Science as Just One Narrative
		People’s Science
		Response to Criticisms
	11.9 Conclusion
Glossary
Exercises
Bibliography
About the Author