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The Relativistic Deduction

Epistemological Implications of the Theory of Relativity With a Review by Albert Einstein and an Introduction by Mili? ?apek

  • Book
  • © 1985

Overview

Authors:
  1. Émile Meyerson
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Part of the book series: Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science (BSPS, volume 83)

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Table of contents (26 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-liii
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  2. The Relativistic Deduction

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
      Download chapter PDF

    2. Preface

      • Emile Meyerson
      Pages 3-7

    3. The Quantitative

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 8-17

    4. Reality

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 18-26

    5. The Spatial

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 27-33

    6. The Principle of Inertia

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 34-44

    7. Relativism, a Theory About Reality

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 45-63

    8. Gravitation

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 64-69

    9. Time

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 70-79

    10. Electrical Phenomena

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 80-85

    11. Biological Phenomena

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 86-87

    12. Universal Explanation

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 88-94

    13. Matter

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 95-100

    14. Essence and Existence

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 101-103

    15. Diversity

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 104-110

    16. Interpretation

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 111-113

    17. The Relativistic Imagination

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 114-119

    18. The Appeal of Relativism

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 120-131

    19. The Deducible and the Real

      • Émile Meyerson
      Pages 132-142
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Keywords

About this book

When the author of Identity and Reality accepted Langevin's suggestion that Meyerson "identify the thought processes" of Einstein's relativity theory, he turned from his assured perspective as historian of the sciences to the risky bias of contemporary philosophical critic. But Emile Meyerson, the epis­ temologist as historian, could not find a more rigorous test of his conclusions from historical learning than the interpretation of Einstein's work, unless perhaps he were to turn from the classical revolution of Einstein's relativity to the non-classical quantum theory. Meyerson captures our sympathy in all his writings: " . . . the role of the epistemologist is . . . in following the development of science" (250); the study of the evolution of reason leads us to see that "man does not experience himself reasoning . . . which is carried on unconsciously," and as the summation of his empirical studies of the works and practices of scientists, "reason . . . behaves in an altogether predict­ able way: . . . first by making the consequent equivalent to the antecedent, and then by actually denying all diversity in space" (202). If logic - and to Meyerson the epistemologist is logician - is to understand reason, then "logic proceeds a posteriori. " And so we are faced with an empirically based Par­ menides, and, as we shall see, with an ineliminable 'irrational' within science. Meyerson's story, written in 1924, is still exciting, 60 years later.

Bibliographic Information

  • Book Title: The Relativistic Deduction

  • Book Subtitle: Epistemological Implications of the Theory of Relativity With a Review by Albert Einstein and an Introduction by Mili? ?apek

  • Authors: Émile Meyerson

  • Series Title: Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-009-5211-9

  • Publisher: Springer Dordrecht

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

  • Copyright Information: D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland 1985

  • Hardcover ISBN: 978-90-277-1699-6Due: 28 February 1985

  • Softcover ISBN: 978-94-010-8805-3Published: 13 October 2011

  • eBook ISBN: 978-94-009-5211-9Published: 06 December 2012

  • Series ISSN: 0068-0346

  • Series E-ISSN: 2214-7942

  • Edition Number: 1

  • Number of Pages: 290

  • Additional Information: Originally published in French

  • Topics: Philosophy of Science, History, general

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