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. 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. Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Introduction....Pages 3-18 The Philosophy of Chemistry....Pages 19-39 Front Matter....Pages 41-41 Aristole’s Theory of Chemical Reaction and Chemical Substances....Pages 43-67 Kant’s Legacy for the Philosophy of Chemistry....Pages 69-91 Front Matter....Pages 93-93 The Conceptual Structure of the Sciences....Pages 95-117 Normative and Descriptive Philosophy of Science and the Role of Chemistry....Pages 119-128 How Classical Models of Explanation Fail to Cope with Chemistry....Pages 129-156 Professional Ethics in Science....Pages 157-169 Front Matter....Pages 171-171 Is There Downward Causation in Chemistry?....Pages 173-189 Physics in the Crucible of Chemistry....Pages 191-204 Front Matter....Pages 205-205 Some Philosophical Implications of Chemical Symmetry....Pages 207-220 The Periodics Systems of Molecules....Pages 221-243 A New Paradigm for Schrödinger and Kohn....Pages 245-269 Front Matter....Pages 271-271 Virtual Tools....Pages 273-291 Space in Molecular Representation; or How Pictures Represent Objects....Pages 293-308 Visualizing Instrumental Techniques of Surface Chemistry....Pages 309-324 Front Matter....Pages 325-325 Are Chemical Kinds Natural Kinds?....Pages 327-336 Water is Not H 2 O....Pages 337-345 From Metaphysics to Metachemistry....Pages 347-362 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