Philosophy of Chemistry: Synthesis of a New Discipline (Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science Book 242)

When you finish writing your book, our job of selling it begins. To be able to promote and sell this title, you are kindly requested to provide a promotional text of approximately 200 words, which is to the point, succinct and relevant, and can be used on the back cover of the book, in promotional brochures, catalogues and on the Web. This comprehensive volume marks a new standard in scholarship in the still emerging field of the philosophy of chemistry. With selections drawn from a wide range of scholarly disciplines, philosophers, chemists, and historians of science here converge to ask some of the most fundamental questions about the relationship between philosophy and chemistry. What can chemistry teach us about longstanding disputes in the philosophy of science over such issues as reductionism, autonomy, and supervenience? And what new issues may chemistry bring to the forefront now that it has joined physics and biology as a serious topic for philosophical reflection? This newest addition to the prestigious Boston Studies in the Philosophy of Science series marks the true arrival of philosophy of chemistry within the corpus of the philosophy of science. This Comprehensive Volume Marks A New Standard In Scholarship In The Still Emerging Field Of The Philosophy Of Chemistry. With Selections Drawn From A Wide Range Of Scholarly Disciplines, Philosophers, Chemists, And Historians Of Science Here Converge To Ask Some Of The Most Fundamental Questions About The Relationship Between Philosophy And Chemistry. What Can Chemistry Teach Us About Longstanding Disputes In The Philosophy Of Science Over Such Issues As Reductionism, Autonomy, And Supervenience? And What New Issues May Chemistry Bring To The Forefront Now That It Has Joined Physics And Biology As A Serious Topic For Philosophical Reflection? This Newest Addition To The Prestigious Boston Studies In The Philosophy Of Science Series Marks The True Arrival Of Philosophy Of Chemistry Within The Corpus Of The Philosophy Of Science. Chemistry And The Philosophy Of Chemistry -- The Philosophy Of Chemistry -- Chemistry And The History And Philosophy Of Science -- Aristole’s Theory Of Chemical Reaction And Chemical Substances -- Kant’s Legacy For The Philosophy Of Chemistry -- Chemistry And Current Philosophy Of Science -- The Conceptual Structure Of The Sciences -- Normative And Descriptive Philosophy Of Science And The Role Of Chemistry -- How Classical Models Of Explanation Fail To Cope With Chemistry -- Professional Ethics In Science -- Chemistry And Physics -- Is There Downward Causation In Chemistry? -- Physics In The Crucible Of Chemistry -- Chemical Theory And Foundational Questions -- Some Philosophical Implications Of Chemical Symmetry -- The Periodics Systems Of Molecules -- A New Paradigm For Schrödinger And Kohn -- Chemistry And Its Tools Of Representation -- Virtual Tools -- Space In Molecular Representation; Or How Pictures Represent Objects -- Visualizing Instrumental Techniques Of Surface Chemistry -- Chemistry And Ontology -- Are Chemical Kinds Natural Kinds? -- Water Is Not H2o -- From Metaphysics To Metachemistry. Edited By Davis Baird, Eric Scerri And Lee Mcintyre. Includes Bibliographical References. 1402032560......Page 1 CONTENTS......Page 6 I. CHEMISTRY AND THE PHILOSOPHY OF CHEMISTRY......Page 9 1. “Introduction: The Invisibility of Chemistry”......Page 10 2. “The Philosophy of Chemistry: From Infancy Toward Maturity”......Page 26 II. CHEMISTRY AND THE HISTORY AND PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE......Page 47 3. “Aristotle’s Theory of Chemical Reaction and Chemical Substances”......Page 48 4. “Kant’s Legacy for the Philosophy of Chemistry”......Page 73 III. CHEMISTRY AND CURRENT PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE......Page 96 5. “The Conceptual Structure of the Sciences: Reemergence of the Human Dimension”......Page 97 6. “Normative and Descriptive Philosophy of Science and the Role of Chemistry”......Page 120 7. “How Classical Models of Explanation Fail to Cope with Chemistry—The Case of Molecular Modeling”......Page 130 8. “Professional Ethics in Science”......Page 158 IV. CHEMISTRY AND PHYSICS......Page 171 9. “Is There Downward Causation in Chemistry?”......Page 172 10. “Physics in the Crucible of Chemistry: Ontological Boundaries and Epistemological Blueprints”......Page 189 V. CHEMICAL THEORY AND FOUNDATIONAL QUESTIONS......Page 203 11. “Some Philosophical Implications of Chemical Symmetry”......Page 204 12. “The Periodic Systems of Molecules: Presuppositions, Problems and Prospects”......Page 218 13. “A New Paradigm for Schrödinger and Kohn”......Page 241 VI. CHEMISTRY AND ITS TOOLS OF REPRESENTATION......Page 266 14. “Virtual Tools: The Epistemological and Social Issues of Computer-Aided Chemical Process Design”......Page 267 15. “Space in Molecular Representation; Or How Pictures Represent Objects”......Page 286 16. “Visualizing Instrumental Techniques of Surface Chemistry”......Page 302 VII. CHEMISTRY AND ONTOLOGY......Page 318 17. “Are Chemical Kinds Natural Kinds?”......Page 319 18. “Water is Not H[sub(2)]O”......Page 329 19. “From Metaphysics to Metachemistry”......Page 338 The Invisibility of Chemistry DAVIS BAIRD South Carolina Honors College, University of South Carolina ERIC SCERRI Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California, Los Angeles LEE MCINTYRE Center for Philosophy and History of Science, Boston University BUTWHATAREALLTHOSECHEMISTSDOING? Recently, one of us (Davis Baird) attended a meeting of historians of science and technology spanning all of the natural sciences and engineering and all (western) periods, ancient through contemporary. In the discussion of a paper on state-of-t- art history of modern (18th century forward) chemistry, a member of the audience made the claim that there was very little left to do in contemporary chemistry and that chemistry departments in his country were having trouble attracting graduate students. Baird found this perspective on contemporary chemistry both remarkable andimplausible,andsaidasmuch. AttheUniversityofSouthCarolina(USC)—where he teaches—chemistry enrolls, and graduates, ?ve times as many graduate students as physics. In this, USC is not unique. The discipline of chemistry is, in fact, enormous and enormously productive. Joachim Schummer in this volume (Chapter 2) makes the point persuasively and concisely with data on the number of publications in various ?elds. With a grand total just shy of 900,000 papers indexed in chemical abstracts for the year 2000, chemistry is larger than all of the other natural sciences combined. This volume follows the earlier successful book in the same series, which helped to introduce and spread the Philosophy of Chemistry to a wider audience of philosophers, historians, and science educators, as well as chemists, physicists and biologists. The introduction summarizes the way in which the field has developed in the ten years since the previous volume was conceived and introduces several new authors who did not contribute to the earlier book. The editors are well placed to assemble this book, as they are the editor in chief and deputy editors of the leading academic journal in the field, Foundations of Chemistry. The philosophy of chemistry remains a somewhat neglected field, unlike the philosophy of physics and the philosophy of biology. Why there has been little philosophical attention to the central discipline of chemistry among the three natural sciences is a theme that is explored by several of the contributors. This volume will do a great deal to redress this imbalance. Among the themes covered is the question of reduction of chemistry to physics, the reduction of biology to chemistry, whether true chemical laws exist and causality in chemistry. In addition more general questions of the nature of organic chemistry, biochemistry and chemical synthesis are examined by specialist in these areas. Includes selections drawn from a wide range of scholarly disciplines, philosophers, chemists, and historians of science, this work asks some of the fundamental questions about the relationship between philosophy and chemistry