This book contains papers from a conference held to celebrate the 70th birthday of one of the world’s foremost astronomical historians, Professor F. Richard Stephenson, the latest recipient of the American Astronomical Society’s highest award for research in astronomical history, the LeRoy Doggett Prize. Reflecting Professor Stephenson’s extensive research portfolio, this book brings toge…
This book examines the health/fitness interaction in an historical context. Beginning in primitive hunter-gatherer communities, where survival required adequate physical activity, it goes on to consider changes in health and physical activity at subsequent stages in the evolution of “civilization.” It focuses on the health impacts of a growing understanding of medicine and physiology, and t…
Contrary to the widespread opinion, the book argues that scientific change is indeed a law-governed process and that there can be a general descriptive theory of scientific change. It does so by first presenting meta-theoretical issues, divided into chapters on the scope, possibility and assessment of theory of scientific change. It then builds a theory about the general laws that govern the pr…
Light phenomena have intrigued humankind since prehistory. Think of the rainbow, a sunset on the sea, a game of shadows. Humans have always used light for their own needs, from cooking food to illuminating a room. However, light is not only limited to what we can see with our eyes. The invisible part of the electromagnetic spectrum is broad and dynamic. This book outlines the mysteries and w…
This book examines the different areas of knowledge, traditions, and conceptual resources that contributed to the building of Max Planck’s theory of radiation. It presents an insightful comparative analysis that not only sheds light upon a fundamental chapter in the history of modern physics, but also enlarges our understanding of how theoreticians work.
It contains work on theories and facts concerning mechanisms and machines from antiquity to current times as viewed in the present day. Topics include modern reviews of past works; people, history, and their works; direct memories of the recent past; historic development theories; the history of the design of machines and mechanisms; developments of mechanical design and automation; the histori…
Recounting the compelling story of a scientific discovery that took more than a century to complete, this trail-blazing monograph focuses on methodological issues and is the first to delve into this subject. This book charts how the biochemical and biophysical mechanisms of photosynthesis were teased out by succeeding generations of scientists, and the author highlights the reconstruction of th…
Commemorating Morton Deutsch’s 95th birthday, this book presents ten major texts by this highly respected social psychologist on war and peace. This second volume presents Deutsch in his role as a leading social science activist on issues of war and peace – writing papers, making speeches and participating in demonstrations. After serving in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and being …
Commemorating Morton Deutsch’s 95th birthday, this book presents ten major texts by this highly respected social psychologist on war and peace. This first volume presents Deutsch in his role as a leading social science activist on issues of war and peace – writing papers, making speeches and participating in demonstrations. After serving in the U.S. Air Force during World War II and being a…
The letters in this volume cover Poincaré's multifaceted career in astronomy in its entirety, extending from the time of his first publications in 1880 to the end of his life in 1912. At a tender age, Poincaré established his authority in questions of celestial mechanics, and his views were soon sought after on a vast array of questions by the leading astronomers and geodesists of his time, i…