This short work from phenomenologist and psychiatrist Jan Hendrik van den Berg describes the historical and cultural context surrounding the discovery of the first two laws of thermodynamics.
As in previous works by van den Berg, this look at cultural history and trends employs a metabletic approach - that is, the study of changes in our human perception and conceptualization at particular times in history. When a discovery is made in a particular period, then, it often occurs around the same time by different people working independently - and such discoveries may be viewed in relation to the overall sociological, cultural and political climate at that same time.
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Synopsis:
This short work describes the historical and cultural context surrounding discovery of the first two laws of thermodynamics. As in previous works by van den Berg, this interesting look at cultural history and trends employs a metabletic approach -- that is, the study of changes in our human perception and conceptualisation at particular times in history. When a discovery is made in a particular period, then, it often occurs around the same time by different people working independently -- and such discoveries may be viewed in relation to the overall sociological, cultural and political climate at the same time. This metabletic approach, admittedly sometimes controversial, is discussed in the translators' introduction, which provides readers unfamiliar with such an approach an overview and places the present work in context.
About the Author:
J. H. van den Berg taught psychology and psychiatry for many years at the Universities of Leyden and Utrecht in the Netherlands.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherDuquesne University Press
- Publication date2004
- ISBN 10 0820703559
- ISBN 13 9780820703558
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages126