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From Summetria to Symmetry: The Making of a Revolutionary Scientific Concept

  • Book
  • © 2008

Overview

Authors:
  1. Giora Hon

    1. Dept. Philosophy, University of Haifa, Israel

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  2. Bernard R. Goldstein

    1. Fac. Art&Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

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  • Symmetry is a key concept in modern science
  • Its history has been distorted for various reasons
  • A critical account of the history of the concept sheds light on the dynamics of scientific change and the role of concepts in theory formation
  • The transition from the aesthetic concept of symmetry to its scientific usage is analyzed for the first time
  • Legendre’s pivotal role has not been noted at all in the secondary literature

Part of the book series: Archimedes (ARIM, volume 20)

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Table of contents (9 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages I-XVI
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  2. Introduction

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1
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    2. Introduction

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 1-65

  3. Tradition: Ancient Perspectives and Their SurvivalintheEarlyModernEra

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 67-67
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    2. The Mathematical Path

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 69-91

    3. The Aesthetic Path

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 93-109

    4. New Aesthetic Sensibilities in Italian and French Architecture

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 111-155

    5. The Ancient Concept of Symmetry in Scientific Contexts in Early Modern Times and Its Association with Harmony

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 157-176

  4. The Path to Revolution: Symmetry as a Modern Scientific Concept

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 177-177
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    2. The Treatment of Symmetry in Natural History (1738–1815)

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 179-201

    3. Leonhard Euler (1707–1783) and Immanuel Kant (1724–1804): “Revolutions” That Did Not Happen

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 203-219

    4. Legendre’s Revolutionary Definition of Symmetry as a Scientific Concept (1794)

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 221-261

    5. New Applications of Symmetry in Mathematics and Physics: 1788–1815

      • Giora Hon, Bernard R. Goldstein
      Pages 263-293

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 295-335
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Keywords

About this book

Many literary critics seem to think that an hypothesis about obscure and remote questions of history can be refuted by a simple demand for the production of more evidence than in fact exists. The demand is as easy to make as it is impossible to satisfy. But the true test of an hypothesis, if it cannot be shown to con?ict with known truths, is the number of facts that it correlates and explains. Francis M. Cornford [1914] 1934, 220. It was in the autumn of 1997 that the research project leading to this publication began. One of us [GH], while a visiting fellow at the Center for Philosophy of Science (University of Pittsburgh), gave a talk entitled, “Proportions and Identity: The Aesthetic Aspect of Symmetry”. The presentation focused on a confusion s- rounding the concept of symmetry: it exhibits unity, yet it is often claimed to reveal a form of beauty, namely, harmony, which requires a variety of elements. In the audience was the co-author of this book [BRG] who responded with enthusiasm, seeking to extend the discussion of this issue to historical sources in earlier periods. A preliminary search of the literature persuaded us that the history of symmetry was rich in possibilities for new insights into the making of concepts. John Roche’s brief essay (1987), in which he sketched the broad outlines of the history of this concept, was particularly helpful, and led us to conclude that the subject was worthy of monographic treatment.

Reviews

From the reviews:

“Hon and Goldstein’s book is, primarily, a historical study of the term ‘symmetry’ and the concepts associated with it up to the early 1800s. … a contribution to fruitful discussion between historians and philosophers of science. … For philosophers of science, such historical work is invaluable.”­­­ (Katherine Brading, Metascience, Vol. 19, March, 2010)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Dept. Philosophy, University of Haifa, Israel

    Giora Hon

  • Fac. Art&Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, USA

    Bernard R. Goldstein

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