The Copernican Revolution：Planetary Astronomy in the Development of Western Thought

作者 Thomas S. Kuhn
出版社 Harvard University Press
出版时间 1992年1月
ISBN 9780674171039
定价 33.00

内容简介

ForscientistandlaymanalikethisbookprovidesvividevidencethattheCopernicanRevolutionhasbynomeanslostitssignificancetoday.Fewepisodesinthedevelopmentofscientifictheoryshowsoclearlyhowthesolutiontoahighlytechnicalproblemcanalterourbasicthoughtprocessesandattitudes.UnderstandingtheprocesseswhichunderlaytheRevolutiongivesusaperspective,inthisscientificage,fromwhichtoevaluateourownbeliefsmoreintelligently.Withaconstantkeenawarenessoftheinseparablemixtureofitstechnical,philosophical,andhumanisticelements,ThomasS.KuhndisplaysthefullscopeoftheCopernicanRevolutionassimultaneouslyanepisodeintheinternaldevelopmentofastronomy,acriticalturningpointintheevolutionofscientificthought,andacrisisinWesternman'sconceptofhisrelationtotheuniverseandtoGod.ThebookbeginswithadescriptionofthefirstscientificcosmologydevelopedbytheGreeks.Mr.Kuhnthuspreparesthewayforacontinuinganalysisoftherelationbetweentheoryandobservationandbelief.Hedescribesthemanyfunctions--astronomical,scientific,andnonscientific--oftheGreekconceptoftheuniverse,concentratingespeciallyonthereligiousimplications.Hethentreatstheintellectual,social,andeconomicdevelopmentswhichnurturedCopernicus'breakwithtraditionalastronomy.Althoughmanyofthesedevelopments,includingscholasticcriticismofAristotle'stheoryofmotionandtheRenaissancerevivalofNeoplatonism,lieentirelyoutsideofastronomy,theyincreasedtheflexibilityoftheastronomer'simagination.ThatnewflexibilityisapparentintheworkofCopernicus,whose"DeRevolutionibusOrbiumCoelestium"("OntheRevolutionsoftheHeavenlySpheres")isdiscussedindetailbothforitsownsignificanceandasarepresentativescientificinnovation.WithafinalanalysisofCopernicus'lifework--itsreceptionanditscontributiontoanewscientificconceptoftheuniverse--Mr.Kuhnilluminatesboththeresearchesthatfinallymadetheheliocentricarrangementwork,andtheachievementsinphysicsandmetaphysicsthatmadetheplanetaryearthanintegralpartofNewtonianscience.Thesearethedevelopmentsthatonceagainprovidedmanwithacoherentandself-consistentconceptionoftheuniverseandofhisownplaceinit.Thisisabookforanyreaderinterestedintheevolutionofideasand,inparticular,inthecuriousinterplayofhypothesisandexperimentwhichistheessenceofmodernscience.SaysJamesBryantConantinhisForeword:"ProfessorKuhn'shandlingofthesubjectmeritsattention,for...hepointsthewaytotheroadwhichmustbefollowedifscienceistobeassimilatedintothecultureofourtimes."

作者简介

ThomasS.Kuhn'sworkisbestdescribedasanormativehistoriographyofscience.HewaseducatedatHarvardUniversity,wherein1949hecompletedadoctorateinphysics.Asastudent,hewasimpressedbythedifferencesbetweenscientificmethod,asconventionallytaught,andthewayscienceactuallyworks.BeforemovingtotheMassachusettsInstituteofTechnologyin1979,hetaughtatHarvardUniversity,theUniversityofCaliforniaatBerkeley,andPrincetonUniversity.Kuhn'smostcelebratedcontributiontothephilosophyofscienceishiscontroversialideaofparadigmsandparadigmshifts.Aparadigmisunderstoodasawidelysharedtheoreticalframeworkwithinwhichscientificresearchisconducted.AccordingtoKuhn,sciencenormallydevelopsmoreorlesssmoothlywithinsuchaparadigmuntilanaccumulationofdifficultiesreducesitseffectiveness.Theparadigmfinallybreaksdowninacrisis,whichisfollowedbytheformationofaradicallynewparadigminaso-calledscientificrevolution.Thenewparadigmisaccepted,eventhoughitmightneitherresolvealloftheaccumulateddifficultiesnorexplainthedatabetterthantheolderparadigmthatitreplaces.WefindexamplesofparadigmshiftsintheworkofCopernicus,Galileo,IsaacNewton,CharlesDarwin,andothers.Sinceitsoriginalpublicationin1962,TheStructureofScientificRevolutionsundoubtedlyhasbeenthesinglemostinfluentialbookinthephilosophyofscience.

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