Overview

Thought experiments are performed in the laboratory of the mind. Beyond this metaphor it is difficult to say just what these remarkable devices for investigating nature are or how they work. Though most scientists and philosophers would admit their great importance, there has been very little serious study of them. This volume is the first book-length investigation of thought experiments. Starting with Galileo's argument on falling bodies, Brown describes numerous examples of the most influential thought experiments from the history of science. Following this introduction to the subject, some substantial and provocative claims are made, the principle being that some thought experiments should be understood in the same way that platonists understand mathematical activity: as an intellectual grasp of an independently existing abstract realm. With its clarity of style and structure, The Laboratory of the Mind will find readers among all philosophers of science as well as scientists who have puzzled over how thought experiments work.

Full Product Details

Author:   James Robert Brown ,  David Kotchan
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Routledge
Edition:   New edition
Dimensions:   Width: 13.80cm , Height: 1.10cm , Length: 21.60cm
Weight:   0.249kg
ISBN:  

9780415095792

ISBN 10:   0415095794
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   29 April 1993
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Undergraduate ,  Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly
Replaced By:   9780415996532
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Reviews

Cogent, lively, enthusiastic . . . A wonderfully stimulating book, highly recommended. - Choice Brown's spledid little book . . . is an excellent value . . . an informative read. - New Scientist I recommend this book to anybody interested in the philosophy of science. Brown has stimulating things to say about a number of topics, and his book is a model of how to present difficult material clearly and without fuss . . . a fascinating compendium. -David Papineau, Times Higher Education Supplement

Cogent, lively, enthusiastic . . . A wonderfully stimulating book, highly recommended. <br>- Choice <br> Brown's spledid little book . . . is an excellent value . . . an informative read. <br>- New Scientist <br> I recommend this book to anybody interested in the philosophy of science. Brown has stimulating things to say about a number of topics, and his book is a model of how to present difficult material clearly and without fuss . . . a fascinating compendium. <br>-David Papineau, Times Higher Education Supplement <br>

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James Robert Brown

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