Summary
Alternatives in the History of Science. The paper deals with the function of the scientist's subjective activity in the research process. This will be discussed at the background of the discourse between distant action and narrow action theories of electromagnetism in 19th century physics. The analysis shows in which high degree the protagonists of these theories (Weber, Maxwell) regarded this situation consciously as a bifurcation (alternative) in the development of their science. This article describes then how the history of science values the case. The result of this valuation is dependent on the different philosophical points of view. Finally we point out some desiderata for the further discussion on methodology of science that would be the consequence of the acknowledgement of real bifurcations in scientific thought.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Literatur
Caneva, K. L.: 1978, ‘From Galvanism to Electrodynamics: The Transformation of German Physics and Its Social Context’,Hist. Stud. Phys. Sc. 9, 63–159.
Cushing, J. T.: 1990, ‘Is Scientific Methodology Interestingly Atemporal?’,Brit. J. Phil. Sci. 41, 177–194.
Fechner, G. Th.: 1906,Zend-Avesta oder über die Dinge des Himmels und des Jenseits, 3. Aufl., Hamburg/Leipzig.
Feyerabend, P.: 1976,Wider den Methodenzwang, Frankfurt a.M.
Feyerabend, P. K.: 1978,Der wissenschaftstheoretische Realismus und die Autorität der Wissenschaften. Braunschweig/Wiesbaden.
Hesse, M. B.: 1961,Forces and Fields, The Concept of Action at a Distance in the History of Physics, London.
Hertz, H.: 1895, ‘Über die Beziehungen zwischen den Maxwell'schen elektrodynamischen Grundgleichungen und den Grundgleichungen der gegnerischen Elektrodynamik’ (1884), in H. Hertz,Gesammelte Werke, Bd. 1, Leipzig.
Holton, G.: 1985,Introduction to Concepts and Theories in Physical Science. Sec. Ed., Princeton.
Kaiser, W.: 1977, ‘Operative Gesichtspunkte bei der Diskussion des Weberschen Gesetzes’,Zeitschr. f. allg. Wissenschaftstheorie 8, 39–47.
Kuhn, T. S.: 1977, ‘Objektivität, Werturteil und Theoriewahl’, in Kuhn, T. S.,Die Entstehung des Neuen, Frankfurt a.M.
Lakatos, I. and Musgrave, A. (ed.): 1974,Kritik und Erkenntnisfortschritt, Braunschweig.
Laudan, L.: 1989, ‘If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It’,Brit. J. Phil. Ss. 40, 369–375.
Longair, M. S.: 1984,Theoretical Concepts in Physics, Cambridge.
Maxwell, J. Clerk: 1883,Lehrbuch der Electricität und des Magnetismus, 2 Bde., Berlin.
Maxwell, J. Clerk: 1890,The Scientific Papers, 2 Vols., Cambridge.
Meya, J.: 1990,Elektrodynamik im 19. Jahrhundert, Wiesbaden.
Mundy, B.: 1989, ‘Distant Action in Classical Electromagnetic Theory’,Brit. J. Phil. Sci. 40, 39–68.
Post, H. R.: 1971, ‘Correspondence, Invariance and Heuristics: In Praise of Conservative Induction’,Stud. Hist. Phil. Sc. 2, 213–255.
Pricha, W.: 1983, ‘Von Ampére zu Maxwell. Wilhelm Webers Briefe an Carl August v. Steinheil und die Elektrodynamik ihrer Zeit’, Dissertation, Bremen.
Stepin, V. S.: 1987, ‘Naučnye revoljucii kak “točki” bifurkacii v razvitii znanija’, inNaučnye revoljuccii v dinamike kultury, Minsk.
Stichweh, R.: 1984,Zur Entstehung des modernen Systems wissenschaftlicher Disziplinen. Physik in Deutschland 1740–1990, Frankfurt a.M.
Weber, W.: 1893,Wilhelm Weber's Werke, Bd. 3, Berlin.
Weber, W.: 1894,Wilhelm Weber's Werke, Bd. 4, Berlin.
Whittakker, E.: 1951,A History of the Theories of Aether and Electricity, Vol. 1, The Classical Theories, London.
Wiederkehr, K. H.: 1960, ‘Wilhelm Webers Stellung in der Entwicklung der Elektrizitätslehre’, Dissertation, Hamburg.
Wise, M. N.: 1981, ‘German Concepts of Force, Energy, and the Electromagnetic Ether’ in Cantor, G. N. and Hodge, J. S. (ed.),Conceptions of Ether: Studies in the History of Ether Theories, 1740–1900, Cambridge.
Wise, M. N.: 1990, ‘Electromagnetic Theory in the Nineteenth Century’, in,Companion to the History of Modern Science, ed. by R. C. Olbyet al., London/New York.
Woodruff, A. E.: 1962, ‘Action at a Distance in Nineteenth Century Electrodynamics’,ISIS 53, 439–459.
Worrall, J.: 1988, The Value of a Fixed Methodology’,Brit. J. Phil. Sci. 39, 263–275.
Worrall, J.: 1989, ‘Fix it and be Damned: A Reply to Laudan’,Brit. J. Phil. Sc. 40, 376–388.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Haney, F. Alternativen der Wissenschaftsgeschichte. J Gen Philos Sci 25, 207–222 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00763821
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00763821