A Source Book in Medieval Science


Book Description

This Source Book explores a millennium of European scientific thought accompanied by critical commentary and annotation; nearly half the selections appear for the first time in the vernacular. Representing "science" in the medieval sense, selections include alchemy, astrology, logic, and theology as well as mathematics, physics, and biology.




Delphi Collected Works of Blaise Pascal (Illustrated)


Book Description

The French seventeenth century philosopher, Blaise Pascal was also a mathematician, physicist and master of prose. A child prodigy, Pascal had numerous interests and an innovative, untiring mind, making a significant contribution to a range of fields and studies. He laid the foundation for the modern theory of probabilities, formulating what came to be known as Pascal’s principle of pressure. He also propagated a religious doctrine that taught the experience of God through the heart rather than reason. An important mathematician, he went on to strongly influence the development of modern economics and social science. Pascal's most celebrated work is ‘Pensées’ (Thoughts), a collection of fragments left unfinished at his early death. It is a treatise on spirituality, representing a defense of the Christian religion, introducing the famous concept of "Pascal's wager". This comprehensive eBook presents Pascal’s collected (almost complete) works, with numerous illustrations, rare texts, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 1) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Pascal’s life and works * Concise introductions to the texts * All of the major works, with individual contents tables * Multiple translations of ‘Pensées’ * Features rare treatises appearing for the first time in digital publishing, including George Pearce’s seminal translations of uncollected ‘Thoughts’ * Excellent formatting of the texts * Rare letters and fragments, available in no other recollection * Special criticism section, with four essays evaluating Pascal’s contribution to philosophy * Features two biographies – discover Pascal’s incredible life * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and genres Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: The Books Essay on Conics (1639) (Tr. Frances Marguerite Clarke) The Provincial Letters (1657) (Tr. Thomas M’Crie) On the Geometrical Spirit (1658) (Tr. Orlando Williams Wight) On the Art of Persuasion (1658) (Tr. Orlando Williams Wight) Thoughts (1670) (Tr. Charles K. Paul and William Finlayson Trotter) Thoughts on Eloquence and Style (Tr. George Pearce) Miscellaneous Thoughts (Tr. George Pearce) Thoughts on the Jesuits and the Jansenists (Tr. George Pearce) Thoughts and Notes for the Provincial Letters (Tr. George Pearce) On the Pope and the Church (Tr. George Pearce) Conversation on Religion (Tr. George Pearce) Letters and Minor Works (Tr. Mary L. Booth and Orlando Williams Wight) The Criticism Port Royal and the Jesuits: Blaise Pascal (1866) Pascal (1898) by Leslie Stephen Pascal (1900) by William Cleaver Wilkinson Pascal (1916) by John Cowper Powys The Biographies Pascal (1878) by John Tulloch Blaise Pascal (1911) by George Chrystal Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles or to purchase this eBook as a Parts Edition of individual eBooks




The Physical Basis of Thermodynamics


Book Description

Given that thermodynamics books are not a rarity on the market, why would an additional one be useful? The answer is simple: at any level, thermodynamics is usually taught as a somewhat abstruse discipline where many students get lost in a maze of difficult concepts. However, thermodynamics is not as intricate a subject as most people feel. This book fills a niche between elementary textbooks and mathematically oriented treatises, and provides readers with a distinct approach to the subject. As indicated by the title, this book explains thermodynamic phenomena and concepts in physical terms before proceeding to focus on the requisite mathematical aspects. It focuses on the effects of pressure, temperature and chemical composition on thermodynamic properties and places emphasis on rapidly evolving fields such as amorphous materials, metastable phases, numerical simulations of microsystems and high-pressure thermodynamics. Topics like redox reactions are dealt with in less depth, due to the fact that there is already much literature available. Without requiring a background in quantum mechanics, this book also illustrates the main practical applications of statistical thermodynamics and gives a microscopic interpretation of temperature, pressure and entropy. This book is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students who already have a basic knowledge of thermodynamics and who wish to truly understand the subject and put it in a broader physical perspective. The book is aimed not at theoretical physicists, but rather at practitioners with a variety of backgrounds from physics to biochemistry for whom thermodynamics is a tool which would be better used if better understood.




Philosophical Devices


Book Description

This book is designed to explain the technical ideas that are taken for granted in much contemporary philosophical writing. Notions like 'denumerability', 'modal scope distinction', 'Bayesian conditionalization', and 'logical completeness' are usually only elucidated deep within difficult specialist texts. By offering simple explanations that by-pass much irrelevant and boring detail, Philosophical Devices is able to cover a wealth of material that is normally only available to specialists. The book contains four sections, each of three chapters. The first section is about sets and numbers, starting with the membership relation and ending with the generalized continuum hypothesis. The second is about analyticity, a prioricity, and necessity. The third is about probability, outlining the difference between objective and subjective probability and exploring aspects of conditionalization and correlation. The fourth deals with metalogic, focusing on the contrast between syntax and semantics, and finishing with a sketch of Gödel's theorem. Philosophical Devices will be useful for university students who have got past the foothills of philosophy and are starting to read more widely, but it does not assume any prior expertise. All the issues discussed are intrinsically interesting, and often downright fascinating. It can be read with pleasure and profit by anybody who is curious about the technical infrastructure of contemporary philosophy.




Blaise Pascal: the Genius of His Thought


Book Description

An introduction to Pascal's thought on the total self, humanity, and infinity reveals his distinctive approach to philosophical problems.







The Hatred of Music


Book Description

Throughout Pascal Quignard’s distinguished literary career, music has been a recurring obsession. As a musician he organized the International Festival of Baroque Opera and Theatre at Versailles in the early 1990s, and thus was instrumental in the rediscovery of much forgotten classical music. Yet in 1994 he abruptly renounced all musical activities. The Hatred of Music is Quignard’s masterful exploration of the power of music and what history reveals about the dangers it poses. From prehistoric chants to challenging contemporary compositions, Quignard reflects on music of all kinds and eras. He draws on vast cultural knowledge—the Bible, Greek mythology, early modern history, modern philosophy, the Holocaust, and more—to develop ten accessible treatises on music. In each of these small masterpieces the author exposes music’s potential to manipulate, to mesmerize, to domesticate. Especially disturbing is his scrutiny of the role music played in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. Quignard’s provocative book takes on particular relevance today, as we find ourselves surrounded by music as never before in history.




On the Study and Difficulties of Mathematics


Book Description

One of the twentieth century's most eminent mathematical writers, Augustus De Morgan enriched his expositions with insights from history and psychology. On the Study and Difficulties of Mathematics represents some of his best work, containing points usually overlooked by elementary treatises, and written in a fresh and natural tone that provides a refreshing contrast to the mechanical character of common textbooks. Presuming only a knowledge of the rules of algebra and Euclidean theorems, De Morgan begins with some introductory remarks on the nature and objects of mathematics. He discusses the concept of arithmetical notion and its elementary rules, including arithmetical reactions and decimal fractions. Moving on to algebra, he reviews the elementary principles, examines equations of the first and second degree, and surveys roots and logarithms. De Morgan's book concludes with an exploration of geometrical reasoning that encompasses the formulation and use of axioms, the role of proportion, and the application of algebra to the measurement of lines, angles, the proportion of figures, and surfaces.




Method in the Physical Sciences


Book Description

Originally published in 1963. Can one discern certain regularities in the manoeuvrings and techniques employed by scientists and can these be formulated into the methodological principles of science? What is the origin and basis of such principles? Are they imposed by objective realities, do they derive from conceptual necessities or are they rooted in our own deep seated predilections? This volume investigates these questions and sheds light on the growth mechanism of the evolving structure of science itself.