| Quantum Dialogue: The Making of a Revolution Contributor(s): Beller, Mara (Author) |
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ISBN: 0226041824 ISBN-13: 9780226041827 Publisher: University of Chicago Press OUR PRICE: $36.63 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2001 Annotation: Winner of the Morris D. Forkosch Prize of the "Journal of the History of Ideas" for Best Book on Intellectual History, 1999 "Science is rooted in conversations," wrote Werner Heisenberg, one of the twentieth century's great physicists; "Quantum Dialogue" shows us how often science is rooted not just in conversation but in disagreement, a culture that fuels scientific creativity. Using original correspondence, notebooks, and drafts of talks and published papers, Beller reveals how world-famous scientists promoted their views by dismissing their opponents as "unreasonable" and championing their own not-always-coherent positions as "inevitable." "Quantum Dialogue" provides a revision of the accepted history of the quantum revolution, proposes a new approach to the history and philosophy of science, and will surely fascinate anyone interested in how "scientific revolutions" are constructed and "scientific consensus" is achieved. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Science | History - Science | Philosophy & Social Aspects - Science | Physics - Quantum Theory |
| Dewey: 530.12 |
| LCCN: 99035499 |
| Series: Science & Its Conceptual Foundations (Paperback) |
| Physical Information: 0.9" H x 6.1" W x 9.02" (1.17 lbs) 365 pages |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: Science is rooted in conversations, wrote Werner Heisenberg, one of the twentieth century's great physicists. In Quantum Dialogue, Mara Beller shows that science is rooted not just in conversation but in disagreement, doubt, and uncertainty. She argues that it is precisely this culture of dialogue and controversy within the scientific community that fuels creativity. Beller draws her argument from her radical new reading of the history of the quantum revolution, especially the development of the Copenhagen interpretation. One of several competing approaches, this version succeeded largely due to the rhetorical skills of Niels Bohr and his colleagues. Using extensive archival research, Beller shows how Bohr and others marketed their views, misrepresenting and dismissing their opponents as unreasonable and championing their own not always coherent or well-supported position as inevitable. Quantum Dialogue, winner of the 1999 Morris D. Forkosch Prize of the Journal of the History of Ideas, will fascinate everyone interested in how stories of scientific revolutions are constructed and scientific consensus achieved. |