Mexican Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xii

   PDF

2. A. Mexican Studies

   1. Logic in Mexico

      • Walter Beller

      Pages 1-23

   2. Contributions Of Santiago Ramírez to the History of the Colegio De Minería

      • Jose Ruiz de Esparza

      Pages 23-28

   3. Gabino Barreda and the Introduction of Darwinism in Mexico: Positivism and Evolution

      • Rosaura Ruiz Gutierrez

      Pages 29-48

3. B. Social Studies

   1. Psychoanalysis and Marxism

      • Santiago Ramirez Ruiz

      Pages 49-57

   2. Functional Explanations in History

      • Carlos Pereyra

      Pages 59-70

   3. The History of Science: Internal or External?

      • Corina Yturbe

      Pages 71-87

4. C. Natural Sciences

   1. Genetic Mutation: The Development of the Concept and its Evolutionary Implications

      • Ana Barahona Echeverria

      Pages 89-107

   2. Galileo’s Revolution: The Use of Idealizational Laws In Physics

      • Elia Nathan Bravo

      Pages 109-128

   3. Among Men, Closest to God

      • Rafael Martinez E.

      Pages 129-149

5. D. Mathematics

   1. The Philosophy and the Programme of Hilbert

      • Carlos Torres

      Pages 151-172

   2. Some Logical Remarks Concerning the Continuum Problem

      • Carlos Alvarez Jimenez

      Pages 173-186

   3. On the Relation of Hilbert’s Second and Tenth Problem

      • Max Fernandez de Castro

      Pages 187-199

   4. Three Metaphysical Theses on Mathematical Philosophy

      • Santiago Ramirez Castañeda

      Pages 201-211

   5. The Principles of Mathematics of Bertrand Russell

      • Alejandro R. Garciadiego

      Pages 213-234

   6. Wittgenstein On Mathematical Proof

      • Guillermo Zambrana Castañeda

      Pages 235-248

   7. To Show and to Prove

      • Carlos Torres, Jaime Oscar Falcon Vege

      Pages 249-264

   8. A Return to Vienna

      • Santiago Ramirez Castañeda

      Pages 265-273

6. Back Matter

   Pages 275-291

   PDF

For a North American seeking to know the Mexican mind, and especially the sciences today and in their recent development, a great light of genius is to be found in Mexico City in the late 17th century. Tbe genius is that of one who surely may be counted as the first Mexican philosopher of nature, a nun of the Order of Saint Jerome: Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz. Sor Juana must speak for herself, from her penetrating exercise of an independent mind within a political and religious formation which denigrated women and circumscribed reason itself. To understand this world of ours, to join in an enlightenment which would be both natural and inspired, Sor Juana clearly understood the requirements of leaming, observing, logic and reasoning. In darkness foundering Words fail the troubled mind. For who, I ask, can light me When Reason is blind? Even now, after the great steps toward liberation of women, and the substantial scientific contributions toward sheer empirical awareness of both the multiple orders ofNature and the subtle aesthetics ofindividual art and social harmony, we too in the earthly world of the 20th century must affirm what she affirmed.

• History of Mathematics
• Ludwig Wittgenstein
• Natural Sciences
• biology
• logic
• philosophy of science
• science

• Universidad National Autónoma de México, Mexico

  Santiago Ramirez

• Boston University, USA

  Robert S. Cohen

Policies and ethics