Author: Davis Baird
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520928202
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
Western philosophers have traditionally concentrated on theory as the means for expressing knowledge about a variety of phenomena. This absorbing book challenges this fundamental notion by showing how objects themselves, specifically scientific instruments, can express knowledge. As he considers numerous intriguing examples, Davis Baird gives us the tools to "read" the material products of science and technology and to understand their place in culture. Making a provocative and original challenge to our conception of knowledge itself, Thing Knowledge demands that we take a new look at theories of science and technology, knowledge, progress, and change. Baird considers a wide range of instruments, including Faraday's first electric motor, eighteenth-century mechanical models of the solar system, the cyclotron, various instruments developed by analytical chemists between 1930 and 1960, spectrometers, and more.
Thing Knowledge
Author: Davis Baird
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520928202
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
Western philosophers have traditionally concentrated on theory as the means for expressing knowledge about a variety of phenomena. This absorbing book challenges this fundamental notion by showing how objects themselves, specifically scientific instruments, can express knowledge. As he considers numerous intriguing examples, Davis Baird gives us the tools to "read" the material products of science and technology and to understand their place in culture. Making a provocative and original challenge to our conception of knowledge itself, Thing Knowledge demands that we take a new look at theories of science and technology, knowledge, progress, and change. Baird considers a wide range of instruments, including Faraday's first electric motor, eighteenth-century mechanical models of the solar system, the cyclotron, various instruments developed by analytical chemists between 1930 and 1960, spectrometers, and more.
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520928202
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 297
Book Description
Western philosophers have traditionally concentrated on theory as the means for expressing knowledge about a variety of phenomena. This absorbing book challenges this fundamental notion by showing how objects themselves, specifically scientific instruments, can express knowledge. As he considers numerous intriguing examples, Davis Baird gives us the tools to "read" the material products of science and technology and to understand their place in culture. Making a provocative and original challenge to our conception of knowledge itself, Thing Knowledge demands that we take a new look at theories of science and technology, knowledge, progress, and change. Baird considers a wide range of instruments, including Faraday's first electric motor, eighteenth-century mechanical models of the solar system, the cyclotron, various instruments developed by analytical chemists between 1930 and 1960, spectrometers, and more.
Thing Knowledge
Author: Davis Baird
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520232496
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
"Davis Baird's Thing Knowledge uses instruments to do philosophy. Grappling with a wonderful assortment of objects—from antique orreries to modern spectrographs—he draws the reader deep into fascinating questions about the nature of knowledge. All too often, the knowledge Baird pursues here has been obscured by accounts that reduce understanding to theory. By contrast, in this rich text Baird shows the myriad of ways that models and devices do work in science: by representing, by manipulating, by measuring, and by calculating. This is a book as lucid on the semantic account of theories as it is on the inner workings of the cyclotron; it is a book that brings the laboratory to philosophers and philosophy into the laboratory."—Peter Galison, author of Einstein's Clocks, Poincare's Maps: Empires of Time "Davis Baird has given us something new and demanding to think about: namely, in addition to propositional knowledge, he argues, there is 'thing knowledge.' That is, scientific instruments embody or encapsulate knowledge in ways that most often not transparent. In making his case, Baird forces us to reconceptualize how we go about doing science and how to understand the product of human labor, both intellectual and manual. Thing Knowledge is must reading for anyone interested in the development of science and its attendant technologies."—Joseph C. Pitt, author of Thinking About Technology: Foundations of the Philosophy of Technology "Over the years the new frontier in philosophy of science has been on logic, then on theories to most recently on models and experimentation. Davis Baird goes one step further and considers the 'immediate' kind of knowledge embodied by scientific instruments and devices. His book is highly thought provoking and will become a classic source."—Eric Scerri, UCLA, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and editor of Foundations of Chemistry. "From the air pump to the dynamo to the cyclotron, machines have played key roles in the development of scientific knowledge. Here, for the first time, Davis Baird looks at those machines as actual forms of scientific knowledge. Baird moves adeptly from historical case study to philosophical explanation in this convincing study of the material culture of science."—Ann Johnson, Department of History, Fordham University
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 0520232496
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 296
Book Description
"Davis Baird's Thing Knowledge uses instruments to do philosophy. Grappling with a wonderful assortment of objects—from antique orreries to modern spectrographs—he draws the reader deep into fascinating questions about the nature of knowledge. All too often, the knowledge Baird pursues here has been obscured by accounts that reduce understanding to theory. By contrast, in this rich text Baird shows the myriad of ways that models and devices do work in science: by representing, by manipulating, by measuring, and by calculating. This is a book as lucid on the semantic account of theories as it is on the inner workings of the cyclotron; it is a book that brings the laboratory to philosophers and philosophy into the laboratory."—Peter Galison, author of Einstein's Clocks, Poincare's Maps: Empires of Time "Davis Baird has given us something new and demanding to think about: namely, in addition to propositional knowledge, he argues, there is 'thing knowledge.' That is, scientific instruments embody or encapsulate knowledge in ways that most often not transparent. In making his case, Baird forces us to reconceptualize how we go about doing science and how to understand the product of human labor, both intellectual and manual. Thing Knowledge is must reading for anyone interested in the development of science and its attendant technologies."—Joseph C. Pitt, author of Thinking About Technology: Foundations of the Philosophy of Technology "Over the years the new frontier in philosophy of science has been on logic, then on theories to most recently on models and experimentation. Davis Baird goes one step further and considers the 'immediate' kind of knowledge embodied by scientific instruments and devices. His book is highly thought provoking and will become a classic source."—Eric Scerri, UCLA, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and editor of Foundations of Chemistry. "From the air pump to the dynamo to the cyclotron, machines have played key roles in the development of scientific knowledge. Here, for the first time, Davis Baird looks at those machines as actual forms of scientific knowledge. Baird moves adeptly from historical case study to philosophical explanation in this convincing study of the material culture of science."—Ann Johnson, Department of History, Fordham University
What is this thing called Philosophy?
Author: Duncan Pritchard
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135037450
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 466
Book Description
What is this thing called Philosophy? is the definitive textbook for all who want a thorough introduction to the field. It introduces philosophy using a question-led approach that reflects the discursive nature of the discipline. Edited by Duncan Pritchard, each section is written by a high-profile contributor focusing on a key area of philosophy, and contains three or four question-based chapters offering an accessible point of engagement. The core areas of philosophy covered are: Ethics Political Philosophy Aesthetics Epistemology Philosophy of Mind Metaphysics Philosophy of Science Philosophy of Religion The Meaning of Life. The accompanying Routledge companion website features valuable online resources for both instructors and students including links to audio and video material, multiple-choice questions, interactive flashcards, essay questions and annotated further reading. This is the essential textbook for students approaching the study of philosophy for the first time.
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135037450
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 466
Book Description
What is this thing called Philosophy? is the definitive textbook for all who want a thorough introduction to the field. It introduces philosophy using a question-led approach that reflects the discursive nature of the discipline. Edited by Duncan Pritchard, each section is written by a high-profile contributor focusing on a key area of philosophy, and contains three or four question-based chapters offering an accessible point of engagement. The core areas of philosophy covered are: Ethics Political Philosophy Aesthetics Epistemology Philosophy of Mind Metaphysics Philosophy of Science Philosophy of Religion The Meaning of Life. The accompanying Routledge companion website features valuable online resources for both instructors and students including links to audio and video material, multiple-choice questions, interactive flashcards, essay questions and annotated further reading. This is the essential textbook for students approaching the study of philosophy for the first time.
Vanishing Into Things
Author: Barry Allen
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674335910
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 300
Book Description
Barry Allen explores the concept of knowledge in Chinese thought over two millennia and compares the different philosophical imperatives that have driven Chinese and Western thought. Challenging the hyperspecialized epistemology of modern Western philosophy, he urges his readers toward an ethical appreciation of why knowledge is worth pursuing.
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674335910
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 300
Book Description
Barry Allen explores the concept of knowledge in Chinese thought over two millennia and compares the different philosophical imperatives that have driven Chinese and Western thought. Challenging the hyperspecialized epistemology of modern Western philosophy, he urges his readers toward an ethical appreciation of why knowledge is worth pursuing.
The Crafting of the 10,000 Things
Author: Dagmar Schäfer
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226735850
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
The last decades of the Ming dynasty, though plagued by chaos and destruction, saw a significant increase of publications that examined advances in knowledge and technology. Among the numerous guides and reference books that appeared during this period was a series of texts by Song Yingxing (1587–1666?), a minor local official living in southern China. His Tiangong kaiwu, the longest and most prominent of these works, documents the extraction and processing of raw materials and the manufacture of goods essential to everyday life, from yeast and wine to paper and ink to boats, carts, and firearms. In The Crafting of the 10,000 Things, Dagmar Schäfer probes this fascinating text and the legacy of its author to shed new light on the development of scientific thinking in China, the purpose of technical writing, and its role in and effects on Chinese history. Meticulously unfolding the layers of Song’s personal and cultural life, Schäfer chronicles the factors that motivated Song to transform practical knowledge into written culture. She then examines how Song gained, assessed, and ultimately presented knowledge, and in doing so articulates this era’s approaches to rationality, truth, and belief in the study of nature and culture alike. Finally, Schäfer places Song’s efforts in conjunction with the work of other Chinese philosophers and writers, before, during, and after his time, and argues that these writings demonstrate collectively a uniquely Chinese way of authorizing technology as a legitimate field of scholarly concern and philosophical knowledge. Offering an overview of a thousand years of scholarship, The Crafting of the 10,000 Things explains the role of technology and crafts in a culture that had an outstandingly successful tradition in this field and was a crucial influence on the technical development of Europe on the eve of the Industrial Revolution.
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226735850
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 353
Book Description
The last decades of the Ming dynasty, though plagued by chaos and destruction, saw a significant increase of publications that examined advances in knowledge and technology. Among the numerous guides and reference books that appeared during this period was a series of texts by Song Yingxing (1587–1666?), a minor local official living in southern China. His Tiangong kaiwu, the longest and most prominent of these works, documents the extraction and processing of raw materials and the manufacture of goods essential to everyday life, from yeast and wine to paper and ink to boats, carts, and firearms. In The Crafting of the 10,000 Things, Dagmar Schäfer probes this fascinating text and the legacy of its author to shed new light on the development of scientific thinking in China, the purpose of technical writing, and its role in and effects on Chinese history. Meticulously unfolding the layers of Song’s personal and cultural life, Schäfer chronicles the factors that motivated Song to transform practical knowledge into written culture. She then examines how Song gained, assessed, and ultimately presented knowledge, and in doing so articulates this era’s approaches to rationality, truth, and belief in the study of nature and culture alike. Finally, Schäfer places Song’s efforts in conjunction with the work of other Chinese philosophers and writers, before, during, and after his time, and argues that these writings demonstrate collectively a uniquely Chinese way of authorizing technology as a legitimate field of scholarly concern and philosophical knowledge. Offering an overview of a thousand years of scholarship, The Crafting of the 10,000 Things explains the role of technology and crafts in a culture that had an outstandingly successful tradition in this field and was a crucial influence on the technical development of Europe on the eve of the Industrial Revolution.
Conversations on Common Things
Author: Dorothea Lynde Dix
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
Uncommon Knowledge
Author: Tom Standage
Publisher: Profile Books
ISBN: 1782835989
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
The world can be an amazing place if you know the right questions to ask: How did carrots become orange? What's stopping us from having a four-day week? How can we remove all the broken bits of satellite from orbit? If everything is so terrible, why is the global suicide rate falling? The keen minds of the Economist love to look beyond everyday appearances to find out what really makes things tick. In this latest collection of The Economist Explains, they have gathered together the juiciest fruits of their never-ending quest for answers. For an uncommonly interesting read, take a peek at some Uncommon Knowledge - and pass it on! The world only gets more amazing when discoveries are shared.
Publisher: Profile Books
ISBN: 1782835989
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 229
Book Description
The world can be an amazing place if you know the right questions to ask: How did carrots become orange? What's stopping us from having a four-day week? How can we remove all the broken bits of satellite from orbit? If everything is so terrible, why is the global suicide rate falling? The keen minds of the Economist love to look beyond everyday appearances to find out what really makes things tick. In this latest collection of The Economist Explains, they have gathered together the juiciest fruits of their never-ending quest for answers. For an uncommonly interesting read, take a peek at some Uncommon Knowledge - and pass it on! The world only gets more amazing when discoveries are shared.
Talk, Thought, and Thing
Author: Kenneth Lee Pike
Publisher: Sil International, Global Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 112
Book Description
Pike addresses the current changing world, in which men are slipping their intellectual moorings. His first presupposition is the fundamental fact of human language. Another is the importance of the emic principle in understanding reality. In stating this principle, Pike says that persons understand persons, things, and events in relation to occurrence in structure, to class membership, and to social, physical, economic, psychological, and historical function and in relation to the control their frames of reference have over them.
Publisher: Sil International, Global Publishing
ISBN:
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 112
Book Description
Pike addresses the current changing world, in which men are slipping their intellectual moorings. His first presupposition is the fundamental fact of human language. Another is the importance of the emic principle in understanding reality. In stating this principle, Pike says that persons understand persons, things, and events in relation to occurrence in structure, to class membership, and to social, physical, economic, psychological, and historical function and in relation to the control their frames of reference have over them.
A Little Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing
Author: Dale Neef
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113601425X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 243
Book Description
It is said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It is a time honored cautionary statement that has suddenly acquired a new urgency. A little knowledge is dangerous, because as a force for dramatic change, knowledge today is revolutionary. More is known and being learned everyday than was ever known or learned before. As a direct result, the pace of change-and that means change in the sense of everything from business to economics, science, medicine, and politics-is beginning to accelerate much more rapidly than ever before in mankind's history. The purpose of this book then is twofold. First it is to provide a broader case for action for knowledge management-to explain what it is, why it has come about and why it is important. In this regard, we take a step back and try to understand the root causes behind the knowledge management techniques are very different, and in many ways more important, than the sort of process or productivity improvement techniques we have dealt with before. "Brains, not brawn. The success of countries, companies and people in the next century will depend on what they know and how clever they are at using this knowledge. Dale Neef has given us the best outline yet of the forces behind this extraordinary change in the world economy, the threats and opportunities we all face, and the prizes that await the winners." -Hamish McRae, author, The World in 2020, Associate editor, "The Independent", London "Dale Neef has produced a singular achievement: a book which lucidly explains the powerful driving role being played by knowledge in the emerging global economy. He provides a penetrating, all-too-rare trans-national perspective which highlights in a highly readable manner the historical, social and technological context within which this revolution is taking place. In doing so, he has stripped away the hype and jargon with which many knowledge management "experts" have clouded this structural change in the global economy. Mr. Neef offers a fascinating array of facts to support his explanations and goes on to discuss the implications of these developments for managers, for companies and for national governments. This book is a must-read for anyone actively engaged in global business today." -Jon Lowe, Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor "A Little Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing provides a very comprehensive view of the impact that the knowledge revolution on our 21st Century society. The economic dislocations that Dale Neef describes are already taking place, creating the prospect that large segments of our population may not have the skills for sustainable employment in the future. The implications of these events on the social and political fabric of our country give one great pause for reflection and concern." -William R. Brody, President, The Johns Hopkins University "Once again, Dale Neef combines just the right amounts of theory, academia and practical business experience to write a truly insightful book. In his consulting work, Mr. Neef's broad business, cultural and educational background has allowed him to analyze problems from a rich variety of perspectives. In this book, he artfully applies this skill to Knowledge Management." -James R. Breakey, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, Green Tree Financial Corporation "This book is full of facts... that we need to understand if we are to draw critical conclusions about how the knowledge economy is impacting our businesses and our lives. Neef provides us with a broad perspective, concentrating not just on the US, but including insightful comparisons with Canada and Europe as well as many developing countries. The numbers provide an eye opening look at what has changed and what is changing in the knowledge economy...It is a book that challenges our thinking and ...provides a much needed conceptual framework to guide the actions organizations will need to take in the knowledge economy." -Nancy M. Dixon, Associate Professor of Administrative Sciences, The George Washington University "Leveraging employee knowledge has become a strategic necessity for all "high road" companies, and organizations must optimize knowledge management techniques in the new global economy. Ford understands the need to capitalize on the knowledge of our employees in order to improve our business and enhance shareholder value in what is now a knowledge-based, global economy." -Dar Wolford, Ford Manager, Best Practice Replication
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 113601425X
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 243
Book Description
It is said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing. It is a time honored cautionary statement that has suddenly acquired a new urgency. A little knowledge is dangerous, because as a force for dramatic change, knowledge today is revolutionary. More is known and being learned everyday than was ever known or learned before. As a direct result, the pace of change-and that means change in the sense of everything from business to economics, science, medicine, and politics-is beginning to accelerate much more rapidly than ever before in mankind's history. The purpose of this book then is twofold. First it is to provide a broader case for action for knowledge management-to explain what it is, why it has come about and why it is important. In this regard, we take a step back and try to understand the root causes behind the knowledge management techniques are very different, and in many ways more important, than the sort of process or productivity improvement techniques we have dealt with before. "Brains, not brawn. The success of countries, companies and people in the next century will depend on what they know and how clever they are at using this knowledge. Dale Neef has given us the best outline yet of the forces behind this extraordinary change in the world economy, the threats and opportunities we all face, and the prizes that await the winners." -Hamish McRae, author, The World in 2020, Associate editor, "The Independent", London "Dale Neef has produced a singular achievement: a book which lucidly explains the powerful driving role being played by knowledge in the emerging global economy. He provides a penetrating, all-too-rare trans-national perspective which highlights in a highly readable manner the historical, social and technological context within which this revolution is taking place. In doing so, he has stripped away the hype and jargon with which many knowledge management "experts" have clouded this structural change in the global economy. Mr. Neef offers a fascinating array of facts to support his explanations and goes on to discuss the implications of these developments for managers, for companies and for national governments. This book is a must-read for anyone actively engaged in global business today." -Jon Lowe, Former U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor "A Little Knowledge Is a Dangerous Thing provides a very comprehensive view of the impact that the knowledge revolution on our 21st Century society. The economic dislocations that Dale Neef describes are already taking place, creating the prospect that large segments of our population may not have the skills for sustainable employment in the future. The implications of these events on the social and political fabric of our country give one great pause for reflection and concern." -William R. Brody, President, The Johns Hopkins University "Once again, Dale Neef combines just the right amounts of theory, academia and practical business experience to write a truly insightful book. In his consulting work, Mr. Neef's broad business, cultural and educational background has allowed him to analyze problems from a rich variety of perspectives. In this book, he artfully applies this skill to Knowledge Management." -James R. Breakey, Senior Vice President, Chief Information Officer, Green Tree Financial Corporation "This book is full of facts... that we need to understand if we are to draw critical conclusions about how the knowledge economy is impacting our businesses and our lives. Neef provides us with a broad perspective, concentrating not just on the US, but including insightful comparisons with Canada and Europe as well as many developing countries. The numbers provide an eye opening look at what has changed and what is changing in the knowledge economy...It is a book that challenges our thinking and ...provides a much needed conceptual framework to guide the actions organizations will need to take in the knowledge economy." -Nancy M. Dixon, Associate Professor of Administrative Sciences, The George Washington University "Leveraging employee knowledge has become a strategic necessity for all "high road" companies, and organizations must optimize knowledge management techniques in the new global economy. Ford understands the need to capitalize on the knowledge of our employees in order to improve our business and enhance shareholder value in what is now a knowledge-based, global economy." -Dar Wolford, Ford Manager, Best Practice Replication
Smart Things to Know About, Knowledge Management
Author: Thomas M. Koulopoulos
Publisher: Capstone
ISBN: 9781841120416
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The business world is turning to the knowledge-based enterprise for survival - sharp advice on maximising corporate wisdom.
Publisher: Capstone
ISBN: 9781841120416
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
The business world is turning to the knowledge-based enterprise for survival - sharp advice on maximising corporate wisdom.