Abstracts of the History of Science Society 2004 Austin Meeting 18 ...
Abstracts of the History of Science Society 2004 Austin Meeting 18 ...
Abstracts of the History of Science Society 2004 Austin Meeting 18 ...
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The American ma<strong>the</strong>matician Leonard Dickson played a key role in <strong>the</strong> consolidation and growth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> American ma<strong>the</strong>matical<br />
research community in <strong>the</strong> opening decades <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> twentieth century primarily from his position at <strong>the</strong> University <strong>of</strong> Chicago. His seminal<br />
publications and voluminous output (more than 300 manuscripts and <strong>18</strong> books over a forty-year career) reflected a dogged work<br />
ethic and fiercely independent personality that proved critical in <strong>the</strong> process that propelled American research-level ma<strong>the</strong>matics forward<br />
as American science developed in general. This particular combination <strong>of</strong> qualities distinguished Dickson from his contemporaries<br />
in an energetic ma<strong>the</strong>matical community that acquired not only momentum but also, increasingly, worldwide respect in <strong>the</strong> first four<br />
decades <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> twentieth century. A native Texan, Dickson was a fascinating character in <strong>the</strong> history <strong>of</strong> ma<strong>the</strong>matics, and <strong>the</strong> history<br />
<strong>of</strong> science more generally. This talk, highlighting material culled from The Center for American <strong>History</strong> in The University <strong>of</strong> Texas<br />
Archives, will emphasize how Dickson’s Texas heritage influenced his personality and his pr<strong>of</strong>essional career.<br />
Mary Carmel Finley, University <strong>of</strong> California, San Diego (mfinley@ucsd.edu)<br />
Friday, 19-Nov-04, 9:00 - 11:45 AM - Hill Country C<br />
All <strong>the</strong> Fish in <strong>the</strong> Sea: <strong>Science</strong> and <strong>the</strong> Development <strong>of</strong> Maximum Sustained Yield (MSY)<br />
In 1955, experts from 45 countries convened in Rome under <strong>the</strong> sponsorship <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Food and Agricultural Organization <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> United<br />
Nations for <strong>the</strong> International Technical Conference on <strong>the</strong> Living Resources <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Sea. Participants adopted Maximum Sustained Yield<br />
(MSY) as <strong>the</strong> goal <strong>of</strong> international fisheries management. Participants worked to develop a “scientific basis for a conservation plan,”<br />
but <strong>the</strong> goal and was deeply embedded in <strong>the</strong> social and political events <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> 1950s, in which increasing <strong>the</strong> harvest from <strong>the</strong> sea was<br />
seen as a solution to problems <strong>of</strong> world hunger and world peace.<br />
Saul Fisher, The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation (sf@mellon.org)<br />
Saturday, 19-Nov-04, 3:30 - 5:30 PM - Big Bend A, B, & C<br />
Gassendi and Puy-de-Dôme: Abandoning <strong>the</strong> “Regressus” for a Method <strong>of</strong> Hypo<strong>the</strong>sis<br />
Does Pierre Gassendi employ <strong>the</strong> “regressus” method <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> “Institutio Logica” in his own scientific practice? To answer this question<br />
I examine Gassendi’s most detailed reasoning about experimental episodes—his accounts <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> barometric and vacuum-related experiments<br />
<strong>of</strong> 1648. This case study should show that his scientific practice conforms to <strong>the</strong> method <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> “Institutio” just in case <strong>the</strong> reasoning<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se accounts may be construed as plausible instances <strong>of</strong> ‘probabilist’ deductive brand <strong>of</strong> argument, and as comprising resolution<br />
or composition steps performed to realize discovery tasks. Yet <strong>the</strong> reasoning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se experimental accounts instead fits poorly<br />
with, or runs orthogonal to, <strong>the</strong> prescribed method <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> “Institutio.” In Gassendi’s reconstruction <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pascalian barometry<br />
experiment, <strong>the</strong> search for <strong>the</strong> middle term is rife with mystery—<strong>the</strong>re is no univocal way to reconstruct <strong>the</strong> reasoning that underlies<br />
each account in syllogistic form. In addition, it is a daunting if not unfeasible task to find a judgment-realizing step that corresponds<br />
to <strong>the</strong> discovery-realizing step which is <strong>the</strong> primary feature <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se experimental accounts. Even more importantly, <strong>the</strong>se experimental<br />
analyses reveal a central methodological issue not as much as glanced upon in <strong>the</strong> “Institutio” perspective: what are <strong>the</strong> guidelines<br />
for hypo<strong>the</strong>tical reasoning? Though Gassendi maintains a vision <strong>of</strong> science based on information from <strong>the</strong> senses, his own reasoning<br />
in <strong>the</strong>se and o<strong>the</strong>r writings relies on hypo<strong>the</strong>tical assumptions for which we have no direct sensory evidence. Indeed, he follows a familiar<br />
method <strong>of</strong> hypo<strong>the</strong>sis, embracing substantive assumptions about <strong>the</strong> kinds <strong>of</strong> causes <strong>the</strong>re may be, deducing <strong>the</strong>ir effects, and <strong>the</strong>n<br />
explaining <strong>the</strong> data as effects <strong>of</strong> only such causes. (Notably, he assumes that only a corpuscularian-mechanical picture and an interparticulate<br />
void allow for <strong>the</strong> motion <strong>of</strong> bodies.) I briefly sketch Gassendi’s views—quite apart from his “regressus” method <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
“Institutio” —as to what proper role such assumptions may have in advancing empirical inquiry, and how he believes we are to judge<br />
<strong>the</strong>ir merits and admissibility.<br />
Jed Foland, University <strong>of</strong> Massachusetts, Amherst (foland@history.umass.edu)<br />
Saturday, 20-Nov-04, 1:30 - 3:10 PM - Texas Ballroom VI<br />
Crossing Species: Buffon and <strong>the</strong> <strong>Science</strong> <strong>of</strong> Experimentation.<br />
Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon spent a lifetime collecting and cataloging <strong>the</strong> known species <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> world. In order to organize<br />
creatures, he developed a unique system <strong>of</strong> classification which differentiated species based on <strong>the</strong>ir ability to reproduce fertile <strong>of</strong>fspring.<br />
To determine reproducibility, Buffon conducted inter-species breeding experiments. Buffon also undertook microscopic observations<br />
involving sperm as well as vivisection experiments in order to determine <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> fertilization. For <strong>the</strong>se and o<strong>the</strong>r scientific<br />
endeavors, Buffon converted his own estate at Montbard into an extensive botanical garden and he transformed <strong>the</strong> Paris Jardin du<br />
Roi into an elaborate center for scientific investigation. This research documents Buffon’s unique methods <strong>of</strong> experimentation. Such an<br />
examination will explain <strong>the</strong> logic behind his <strong>the</strong>ory <strong>of</strong> species degeneration as well as <strong>the</strong> canon <strong>of</strong> reproductive knowledge which<br />
would persist until Darwin’s <strong>the</strong>ory <strong>of</strong> evolution.<br />
Brian Frehner, University <strong>of</strong> Oklahoma (bfrehner@ou.edu)<br />
Friday, 19-Nov-04, 3:30 - 5:30 PM - Texas Ballroom VI<br />
Mapping Nature: The Role <strong>of</strong> Field Work in <strong>the</strong> Oklahoma Geological Survey<br />
The state <strong>of</strong> Oklahoma’s efforts to promote innovations in <strong>the</strong> science <strong>of</strong> petroleum geology in <strong>the</strong> early-twentieth century produced