Geophysics, Realism, and Industry: How Commercial Interests Shaped Geophysical Conceptions, 1900-1960
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Author Description
Did Industry And Commerce Affect The Concepts, Values And Epistemic Foundations Of Different Sciences? If So, How And To What Extent? This Book Suggests That The Most Significant Influence Of Industry On Science In The Two Case Studies Treated Here Had To Do With The Issue Of Realism. Using Wave Propagation As The Common Thread, It Simultaneously Analyses The Emergence Of Realist Attitudes Towards The Entities Of The Ionosphere And Of The Earth's Crust. However, What Led Physicists And Engineers To Adopt Realist Attitudes? This Book Suggests That A New Kind Of Realism - A Realism Of Social And Cultural Origins - Is The Answer: A Preliminary, Entity Realism Responding To Specific Commercial And Engineering Interests, And A Realism That Was Neither Strictly Instrumental Nor Exclusively Operational. Aitor Anduaga. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Mode Of Access: World Wide Web.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates how commercial and industrial interests influenced the epistemic foundations and realist attitudes within the fields of ionospheric and crustal geophysics between 1900 and 1960. Aitor Anduaga, a historian of science, utilizes the study of wave propagation as a primary analytical framework to examine the intersection of scientific practice and economic demand. He argues that the emergence of a specific type of 'entity realism' among physicists and engineers was driven by the practical requirements of industry rather than purely theoretical or instrumental concerns.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of wave propagation as a unifying scientific thread
- Historical examination of ionospheric research and crustal exploration
- A framework for understanding 'social and cultural realism' in scientific development
- Case studies on the transition from instrumentalism to entity-based realism
Scope Limits
- The analysis is restricted to the period between 1900 and 1960
- The study focuses primarily on the influence of commercial interests rather than broader political or military factors
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Scholars in the history of science recognize this work as a detailed examination of the socio-economic drivers behind geophysical theory. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which is tailored for researchers and students of scientific history.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1900-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press,
ISBN-10:
0191816523
ISBN-13:
9780191816529
Science History
Realism
Philosophy of
Academic
Industrial history
Geophysics