A noteworthy study in the history of ideas, this is the first systematic account of an idea that was born with the concept of science itself in ancient Greece and that has been vital to its evolution ever since. The book traces the development of the concept of form—one of the most important and persistent elements in natural philosophy—from its origins in Plato and Aristotle to the beginnings of the nineteenth century. Norma Emerton depicts the transformation of the form concept as it was transferred from a philosophical to a scientific context, and she explains how it was reinterpreted and used especially in particle theory, chemical doctrine, and crystallography in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. Throughout she emphasizes the philosophical, linguistic, and theological context of scientific theories, supporting her argument with evidence from a wide variety of primary sources, some of them little known, and many of them specially translated by the author. In form and style her book treats the history of a "unit-idea " in the grand tradition of A. 0. Lovejoy's Great Chain of Being. ''The story is a fascinating one,'' writes L. Pearce Williams in the Foreword. "This is 'internal' history of science which illustrates well the fact that scientific ideas have lives of their own worth investigating, describing, and analyzing. The result is a history that introduces one of the most important and central concerns of modern science." The Scientific Reinterpretation of Form will be of particular interest to historians and philosophers of science, intellectual historians, and others concerned with the dynamic interaction between philosophy, theology, and science.
A noteworthy study in the history of ideas, this is the first systematic account of an idea that was born with the concept of science itself in ancient Greece and that has been vital to its evolution ever since. The book traces the development of the concept of form—one of the most important and persistent elements in natural philosophy—from its origins in Plato and Aristotle to the beginnings of the nineteenth century. Norma Emerton depicts the transformation of the form concept as it was transferred from a philosophical to a scientific context, and she explains how it was reinterpreted and used especially in particle theory, chemical doctrine, and crystallography in the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth centuries. Throughout she emphasizes the philosophical, linguistic, and theological context of scientific theories, supporting her argument with evidence from a wide variety of primary sources, some of them little known, and many of them specially translated by the author. In form and style her book treats the history of a "unit-idea " in the grand tradition of A. 0. Lovejoy's Great Chain of Being. ''The story is a fascinating one,'' writes L. Pearce Williams in the Foreword. "This is 'internal' history of science which illustrates well the fact that scientific ideas have lives of their own worth investigating, describing, and analyzing. The result is a history that introduces one of the most important and central concerns of modern science." The Scientific Reinterpretation of Form will be of particular interest to historians and philosophers of science, intellectual historians, and others concerned with the dynamic interaction between philosophy, theology, and science.
This true story being told happened in New England between 1912 and 1948. Many interesting things happened in this time period: Two World Wars, a major depression and the consequences of these events. The stories of these times as recalled from the memory of Norma are not in great detail, but come together to show how life and times affect one’s destiny. Small incidences in the area of religion seem to start out and come to the front of the story. The detailed conclusion of the story pulls everything together in a way that shows a probable design which can only be seen as time permits. An interesting part of the story is the contrast between the life of a grandmother and the life of grandchildren who seem to live in a different world. And so, destinies are still taking shape.
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.