著者
稲葉 肇
出版者
京都大学文学部科学哲学科学史研究室
雑誌
科学哲学科学史研究 (ISSN:18839177)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.8, pp.1-20, 2014-03-31

This paper shows that JosiahWillard Gibbs (1839–1903) integrated Helmholtzian thermodynamic analogies with the Boltzmann-Maxwellian ensemble approach in his book Elementary principles in statistical mechanics (1902). On one hand, Gibbs took over the ensemble concept from Maxwell and Boltzmann, who developed it in the 1870s and 1880s. A lecture note taken by a Gibbs' student reveals that Gibbs finished his theory of statistical mechanics following the Boltzmann-Maxwell line almost completely by 1895. On the other hand, Gibbs made analogies with thermodynamics in Helmholtz's sense; in 1884 Helmholtz suggested the idea of monocyclic systems to establish the fact that there are formal and operational correspondences between mechanics and thermodynamics. In the same year, Boltzmann extended the domain of monocyclic systems by means of ensembles, but he made only formal analogies. The lecture note also mentions formal analogies. In the Elementary principles, Gibbs applied the ensemble concept to make both formal and operational analogies, as can be seen in Helmholtz. Although there is no direct evidence that Gibbs studied Helmholtz's monocyclic systems, a detailed analysis allows us to interpret Gibbs' theory as succeeding Helmholtz' thermodynamic analogies.
著者
KAWANISHI Toma
出版者
京都大学文学部科学哲学科学史研究室
雑誌
科学哲学科学史研究 = PHS Studies (ISSN:18839177)
巻号頁・発行日
no.14, pp.1-24, 2020-04-07

Hidetsugu Yagi, renowned as one of the inventors of the Yagi-Uda Antenna, acted as a reformer of a Japanese engineering institution during the interwar period. He promoted engineering research and strove to transform a Japanese Imperial University Faculty of Engineering from a professional school to a research institution. This paper examines Yagi's philosophy, which underpinned his promotion of engineering research. First, it explains why he needed to examine the nature of engineering, focusing on two factors: (1) the unique history of Japanese engineering education and research; and (2) the transformation of industrial technology before the First World War (WWI). It then outlines how he conceptualized engineering. According to his characterization, engineering was an applied science that applied mathematics and physical science for the purpose of invention, enabling what was previously impossible. This conceptualization helped him transform the Faculty of Engineering at Imperial University to a place of scientific research, and call for the autonomy of the faculty of engineering in the Japanese research and development system.
著者
苗村 弘太郎
出版者
京都大学文学部科学哲学科学史研究室
雑誌
科学哲学科学史研究 (ISSN:18839177)
巻号頁・発行日
vol.12, pp.21-42, 2018-03-31

Circumstantial (indirect) evidence is supposed to be unreliable in historical research. Historians, however, sometimes succeed in establishing a fact based on circumstantial evidence. The reason why circumstantial evidence can achieve it despite its infamous reputation is a question left to be answered. I will give an answer to this question by arguing that credibility of inference in historical research does not depend on whether it is based on circumstantial evidence but on whether its hypothesis is a good explanation in terms of IBE (inference to the best explanation). McCullagh(1984) argues that there are seven explanatory virtues that concern IBE in historical research: some explanation to evidence, explanatory scope, explanatory power, plausibility, ad-hocness, disconfirmation, relative superiority. This criteria can help us understand historical inference based on circumstantial evidence, but it has some problems. Therefore, I will try to modify his criteria in terms of Bayesiansim. I will argue three points. First, plausibility should be interpreted as prior probability in terms of Bayesianism. Second, ad-hocness should be turned into a virtue reflecting degree of unification. Third, how much weight is put on each of explanatory virtues depends on individual historian’s judgement. I will demonstrate these points by a case study.