Philosophy and History of Science
"Do not all charms fly
At the mere touch of cold philosophy?
There was an awful rainbow once in heaven:
We know her woof, her texture; she is given
In the dull catalogue of common things.
Philosophy will clip an Angel's wings,
Conquer all mysteries by rule and line,
Empty the haunted air, and gnomèd mine -
Unweave a rainbow...."
John Keats, Lamia
Announcements
Updated September 24,2014
The full text of a series of essays
Introduction to Quantum Theory for the Public
has been placed on Ferment Magazine, and can be accessed at:
Quantum Theory for the Public(docx)
(doc)
(pdf)
(1)New!! April 12,2014
The First Cartoon Lecture
Discourse on Scientific Method, Part I
Discourse (Power Point)
Discourse(pdf)
(2)A new paper entitled "On Containers" has been placed on Ferment Magazine:
This preliminary version of "On Containers" derives from the on-going quest to clarify the ontology of the objects of modern physics. It shows that the "set" concept is inadequate, and replaces it by a more flexible concept, the "container":
On Containers(docx)
On Containers(doc)
On Containers(pdf)
(3) The translation of the first section of Alexandre Grothendieck's "Récoltes et Semailles" has been returned to Ferment Magazine. Go to:A review of "Road to Reality", by Roger Penrose. The review of Penrose's treatise that had been on Ferment Magazine since 2006, has been replaced by the text of the version in the Mathematics Intelligencer, Summer2006, Vol. 28 Issue 3, p61. This version is more complete and better edited, and owes much to the editorial guidance of Osmo Pekonen.
Voltaire, Maupertuis and Emile de Chatelet
The controversies over the 3 systems of the world, (Leibniz, Descartes, Newton) in the first part of the 18th century.
3 Articles on Alexandr Yesenin-Volpin: logician, meta-mathematician, political exile, architect of the Russian Civil Rights Movement of the 1970's
A.Y.Volpin 2
(doc version)
(pdf Version)
A.Y. Volpin 3
(doc version)
(pdf Version)
Hysteria and Enlightenment
Six papers have been deposited with the Philosophy of Science Archive
at the University of Pittsburgh.
Autumn Leaves, Reflections and Speculations
10/05
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