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XIII.—Some Disputed Questions in the Philosophy of the Physical Sciences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 February 2012

Extract

More than two thousand years ago the Greek philosophers raised certain questions, which are still undecided, about the origin and character of knowledge regarding the external world. After a period of comparative quiet, the discussion has become very active recently, under the stimulus of the new discoveries in mathematical physics; and, in particular, a lively debate is in progress at the present moment between Sir Arthur Eddington and Dr Harold Jeffreys of Cambridge, Professor Milne of Oxford, Sir James Jeans, and Professor Dingle of the Imperial College, the subject being the respective shares of reason and observation in the discovery of the laws of nature. I propose this afternoon to offer some remarks on the history and present state of this controversy.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Royal Society of Edinburgh 1942

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References

page 163 note * Prior Analytics, I, 30.

page 163 note † De Gen. et Corr., I, 2.

Ibid.

§ Cf. Thomas, St, Commentary on Aristotle's “Physics,” Lib. VIII, Cap. 1, Lect. 3, 4. P.R.S.E.—VOL. LXI, A, 1941-1942, PART II.Google Scholar

page 170 note * The Philosophy of Physical Science, 1939, p. 56.Google Scholar

page 170 note † Ibid., p. 104.

page 171 note * Relativity Theory of Protons and Electrons, 1936, p. 327.Google Scholar

page 172 note * The Philosophy of Physical Science, p. 39.

page 172 note † Ibid., p. 116.

page 173 note * The Philosophy of Physical Science, p. 58.

page 174 note * The Philosophy of Physical Science, p. 170.

page 177 note † Ibid., p. 177.

Ibid., p. 59.

§ Ibid., p. 188.

Ibid., p. 151.