PHIL202

By Gerding453

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) & Physics

    At the turn of the twentieth century, Pierre Duhem began making his name in the field of physics. He is most known for his works concerning theories heat, electrodynamics, and hydrodynamics. At this point in history, many believed topics concerning science were separated. Duhem’s work which crossed fields merely proved that the world has natural classification outside of what people (at the time) expected (Martin).

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) & Famous Works 1

    Physique et métaphysique (1893)
    Boutot, Alain. “PHYSIQUE ET MÉTAPHYSIQUE CHEZ PIERRE DUHEM.” Les Études Philosophiques, no. 1/2, 1994, pp. 233–248. JSTOR, JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/20848833.
    Traite de mechanique chimique (1897-1899)
    Duhem, Pierre. “Traité Élémentaire De Mécanique Chimique Fondée Sur La Thermodynamique. Vaporisation Et Modifications Analogues / Par P. Duhem,...” Gallica, gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k917705.texteImage.

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) & Famous Works 2

    Thermodynamics and chemistry (1903)
    Duhem. “Thermodynamics and Chemistry. A Non-Mathematical Treatise for Chemists and Students of Chemistry. By P. Duhem. Authorized Translation by George K. Burgess. ...” Handle Proxy, Universidade Da Coruña, hdl.handle.net/2027/uc2.ark:/13960/t1jh3f08k?urlappend=;seq.
    "Physique de Croyant” (1905)
    Duhem, Pierre. La théorie physique. Son objet, sa structure. Lyon: ENS Éditions, 2016. Web. http://books.openedition.org/enseditions/6077.

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) & Metaphysics v. Physics

    Duhem is well known for his separation of the topics physics and metaphysics. He defined the difference as the following: physics shows the description of experimental laws while metaphysics shows the reasoning behind the laws. This differentiation laid the basis for theories bridging between theoretical and experimental physics (Mondragon). The two essays that illustrated these proposed ideas were: "Physique et métaphysique” (1893) and “ "Physique de Croyant” (1905) (Darling).

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) & Influences

    Contemporary philosophy was born from the concepts of rationality from Descartes (rationalist version) and Newton (empiricist version). Later, Duhem discussed the myths and flaws between both theories. These proposed ideas later influenced fellow philosophers of science including Karl. R. Popper and Thomas S. Kuhn (Mondragon). In relation to other philosophers, it is found that Duhem’s concept of philosophical interpretations is “based on the analysis of the history of science” (Mondragon).

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) & Underdetermination

    Duhem’s most famous philosophical concept is underdetermination (“Underdetermination”). Duhem and fellow philosophers debated over correlation and causation and whether there is ever enough evidence to strictly prove one hypothesis. To understand this, it’s necessary to be aware that Duhem believed “ hypotheses have empirical implications or consequences only when conjoined with other hypotheses and/or background beliefs about the world” (“Underdetermination”).

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) References

    Darling, Karen M. Pierre Duhem's Philosophy of Science, Northwestern University, Ann Arbor, 2002. ProQuest, https://search-proquest-com.ezproxy2.apus.edu/docview/305521447?accountid=8289.
    “Underdetermination of Scientific Theory.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Stanford University, 12 Oct. 2017, plato.stanford.edu/entries/scientific-underdetermination/.

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) References 2

    R.N.D.MARTIN. "Duhem, Pierre Maurice Marie." Biographical Dictionary of 20th Century Philosophers, edited by Stuart C. Brown, et al., Routledge, 1st edition, 2002. Credo Reference, http://ezproxy.apus.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/routphil/duhem_pierre_maurice_marie/0?institutionId=8703. Accessed 19 Dec. 2018.

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) References 3

    Mondragon, Dámian Islas. “Pierre Duhem: Between Physics and Metaphysics.” Transversal: International Journal for the Historiography of Science, www.historiographyofscience.org/index.php/transversal/article/view/32/38.

  • Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) Related Video

    What Is Science? Pierre Duhem & Thomas Kuhn: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IA7ez9PtRnI