The life and work of William Harvey

This year marks the four hundredth anniversary of the birth of William Harvey, discoverer of the circulation of the blood. His enunciation of this in his elegant De Motu Cordis et Sanguinis in Animalibus (1628) is of interest because it appeals not merely to anatomical and clinical observation but to quantitative methods. Although this is the work for which Harvey is best remembered he also did important work on the formation of the embryo and expounded the theory of epigenesis.     

Ancient discipline, vigorous KIZ： Aiming at frontiers

Many science historians say modern zoology emerged in 1552 with the publication in Paris of Edward Wooton De differentiis animalium. Others trace it back to Aristotle (382-322 BC) and his History of Animals. But no matter how old zoology is, this     

Integrating mind and brain: Warren S. McCulloch,cerebral localization,and experimental epistemology

Recently, historians have focused on Warren S. McCulloch's role in the cybernetics movement during the 1940s and 1950s, and his contributions to the development of computer science and communication theory. What has received less attention is McCulloch's early work in neurophysiology, and its relationship to his philosophical quest for an 'experimental epistemology' - a physiological theory of knowledge. McCulloch's early laboratory work during the 1930s addressed the problem of cerebral localization: localizing aspects of behaviour in the cerebral cortex of the brain. Most of this research was done with the Dutch neurophysiologist J.G. Dusser de Barenne at Yale University. The connection between McCulloch's philosophical interests and his experimental work can be expressed as a search for a physiological a priori, an integrated mechanism of sensation.     

Maintaining continuity through a scientific revolution: a rereading of E. B. Wilson and T. H. Morgan on sex determination and Mendelism

A rereading of the American scientific literature on sex determination from 1902 to 1926 leads to a different understanding of the construction of the Mendelian-chromosome theory after 1910. There was significant intellectual continuity, which has not been properly appreciated, underlying this scientific "revolution." After reexamining the relationship between the ideas of key scientists, in particular Edmund B. Wilson and Thomas Hunt Morgan, I argue that, contrary to the historical literature, Wilson and Morgan did not adopt opposing views on Mendelism and sex determination. Rather, each preferred a non-Mendelian explanation of the determination of sex. Around 1910, both integrated the Mendelian and non-Mendelian theories to create a synthetic theory. One problem was the need to avoid an overly deterministic view of sex while also accepting the validity of Mendelism. Morgan's discovery of mutations on the X chromosome takes on different significance when set in the context of the debate about sex determination, and Calvin Bridges's work on sex determination is better seen as a development of Morgan's ideas, rather than a departure from them. Conclusions point to the role of synthesis within fields as a way to advance scientific theories and reflect on the relationship between synthesis and explanatory "pluralism" in biology.     

《科学革命的结构》的经济学旨趣

库恩在《科学革命的结构》一书中,很少提到＂经济＂、＂经济学＂等术语,暗中却采用了经济学的话语方式来解说科学的动态过程。库恩探讨了竞争、垄断、分工与专业化等在提升科学效率方面的重大作用。他还探讨了科学家的问题选择以及在范式革命时期的理论选择,探讨了理性科学家在理论选择中的貌似的非理性特征。     

Going Critical: Perspective and Proportion in the Epistemology of Rob Kling

One foundational element of Rob Kling's research and writing is his critical perspective on the nature, role, and dynamics of computerization. His main argument was that one should view as dubious any statements that are not grounded in empirical evidence or theoretical analysis. Rob's work was replete with critical refutation, in which he challenged assumptions or statements about computerization and provided alternative interpretations. Much of his work delivered indictments against hyperbolic statements that claimed either utopian or dystopian outcomes from computerization. However, some of his own writings on emerging technologies tended to be dismissive and marginalizing, revealing in his own work some of the weaknesses he pointed out in others' rhetoric and writing. This article identifies intellectual traps inherent in critical perspectives that can catch even the most acute practitioners. The objective is to help elucidate and stabilize the epistemological foundations for Rob's critical perspective on the role of computerization.     

Management,politics, and science: a nonseparable system

Philosophy of science, as understood by most social scientists, has given us an image of the scientific enterprise as a large hypothesis testing machine. One key unit within this enterprise is the individual scientist. He has learned or intuitively understands a set of logical rules which he brings to bear in ordering his thinking about a problem. Since he was pictured as operating within an unconstrained environment in an organizationally and morally simplistic world, his goal (scientific ‘truth’) was unambiguous, the organization and conduct of his work frictionless, and his only concerns were logic and measurements. Management and politics had no relationship to his pursuit of truth or the possibility of uncovering it. The other key unit, the scientific community, was equally autonomous from the world of management and politics. It was a social system in which problem definitions and decisions on truth are the joint result of open interaction among autonomous, rational, driven men and the impersonal automatic, application of the rules of evidence and logic.What guaranteed that this marvellous hypothesis testing machine actually operated in this fashion? The character and socialization of the individual scientist and the fact that interference in or imperfections of the process will result in erroneous truths which will eventually catch up with the perpetrators and punish them through individual, system, or societal failure, as in the inexorable workings of the market place of classical economics.If this was ever a very accurate picture of the scientific enterprise, the emergence of ‘Big Science’ has placed its adequacy seriously in doubt. ‘Big Science’ involves a research system in which (a) a consciously articulated goal exists; (b) there has been a commitment of resources and the organization and coordination of skills and institutions on a scale which only national governments can undertake; (c) the decentralized structures of the scientific community are replaced by planned administrative structures; and (d) it is rare that research problems or goals correspond to the neat disciplinary boundaries within science.Recognition of these developments in the scientific community is uneven and the reaction to them ambivalent and the philosophy and sociology of science have yet to come fully to terms with them.     

The 1909 Darwin celebration. Reexamining evolution in the light of Mendel, mutation, and meiosis

In June 1909, scientists and dignitaries from 167 different countries gathered in Cambridge to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of Charles Darwin's birth and the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of Origin of Species. The event was one of the most magnificent commemorations in the annals of science. Delegates gathered within the cloisters of Cambridge University not only to honor the "hero" of evolution but also to reassess the underpinnings of Darwinism at a critical juncture. With the mechanism of natural selection increasingly under attack, evolutionary theory was in disarray. Against this backdrop, biologists weighed the impact of several new developments--the rediscovery of Mendel's laws of heredity, de Vriesian mutation theory, and the linkage of sex-cell division (recently named "meiosis") to the mechanism of heredity. The 1909 Darwin celebration thus represents a significant watershed in the history of modem biology that allows historians to assess the status of evolution prior to the advent of the chromosome theory of genetics.     

Women in the early history of genetics. William Bateson and the Newnham College Mendelians, 1900-1910.

William Bateson was one of the pivotal figures in the early history of genetics, having championed the promise of Mendelism to unravel the secrets of heredity. Many refer to the "school" of genetics he directed at Cambridge between 1900 and 1910, but few note that Bateson's group consisted primarily of women. Bateson turned to botanists, zoologists, and physiologists associated with Newnham College, Cambridge, for critical assistance in advancing his research program at a time when Mendelism was not yet recognized as a legitimate field of study. Cambridge women carried out a series of breeding experiments in a number of plant and animal species between 1902 and 1910, the results of which provided crucial evidence that both supported and extended Mendel's laws of heredity. This essay shows how the situation of women in science in the early twentieth century was a factor--along with scientific, institutional, social, and political developments--in establishing the new discipline of genetics.     

库恩的身份认同 纪念《科学革命的结构》问世50周年

托马斯·库恩是20世纪最伟大的科学哲学家和科学史学家。由他划时代著作《科学革命的结构》产生出来的"范式"和"范式转换"已经成为我们的日常生活用语。一方面,库恩自认在哲学上的最大贡献是"不可通约性",但这一点遭到多方非议。另一方面,当他被认为是"科学知识社会学"(SSK)强纲领的思想先驱时,他却拒绝承认SSK的主张;他在学术上的同路人少得可怜,与他在思想界的巨大影响完全不成比例。库恩从登上学术舞台开始,就遭到不同程度的误解,他一直在寻找自己的身份定位。本文试图通过梳理矛盾的库恩形象,他与学生的关系以及影响他的思想形成的几大事件,从"误解"与"被误解"的角度来阐释库恩的心路历程。我们的目的不是"去魅",更不想树立新的偶像,而是试图还原一个真实的库恩。     

Going Critical: Perspective and Proportion in the Epistemology of Rob Kling 1

One foundational element of Rob Kling's research and writing is his critical perspective on the nature, role, and dynamics of computerization. His main argument was that one should view as dubious any statements that are not grounded in empirical evidence or theoretical analysis. Rob's work was replete with critical refutation, in which he challenged assumptions or statements about computerization and provided alternative interpretations. Much of his work delivered indictments against hyperbolic statements that claimed either utopian or dystopian outcomes from computerization. However, some of his own writings on emerging technologies tended to be dismissive and marginalizing, revealing in his own work some of the weaknesses he pointed out in others' rhetoric and writing. This article identifies intellectual traps inherent in critical perspectives that can catch even the most acute practitioners. The objective is to help elucidate and stabilize the epistemological foundations for Rob's critical perspective on the role of computerization.     

赵红州《科学能力学引论》的学术贡献和影响

中国科学学家赵红州的代表作《科学能力学引论》是其进入科学学领域10年艰辛拓荒的集大成之作,是科学能力学进入创生阶段的标示性起点。该书不仅在构建学科体系方面做了难能可贵的探索,而且带动了科学计量学、科学家学等新兴科学学分支学科在中国的兴起和发展。     

Rob Kling In Search of One Good Theory

Rob Kling's legacy is a corpus of work that exemplifies the craft of inquiry and the social enterprise of science. This article examines his contribution to social informatics through an analysis of the multiple theories, methods, and sources of evidence he relied on to make his arguments about the social life of computing and the consequences of computerization. His citation identity demonstrates that he transcended disciplinary boundaries but grounded his analysis of the political and social order in interpretive theory and critique. Kling created a working vocabulary for theorizing about computerization and social life. His sustained inquiry and critique, a very public record of his work, enthusiasm, and charisma, contributed to the penetration of his ideas and the fostering of a world-wide community of interest for a domain of study called social informatics.     

The scientometric world of Keith Pavitt: A tribute to his contributions to research policy and patent analysis

Keith Pavitt has made pioneering contributions to the study of science, technology and innovation. This paper aims to examine some of them on the basis of a bibliometric analysis of Keith Pavitt's work and the impact that he has had. First the paper follows how Pavitt's publication profile develops over time. Then we trace his most cited works and explore the sets of references in his papers. Author and journal co-citation maps illustrate the intellectual environment associated with Pavitt and the central role Research Policy played in this context. An analysis of the most frequently cited authors in Research Policy and Scientometrics underlines Keith Pavitt's role as both a shaper of, and a bridge between, science and technology policy and bibliometric analysis.     

Egocentric analysis of co-authorship network structure,position and performance

In this study, we propose and validate social networks based theoretical model for exploring scholars’ collaboration (co-authorship) network properties associated with their citation-based research performance (i.e., g-index). Using structural holes theory, we focus on how a scholar’s egocentric network properties of density, efficiency and constraint within the network associate with their scholarly performance. For our analysis, we use publication data of high impact factor journals in the field of “Information Science & Library Science” between 2000 and 2009, extracted from Scopus. The resulting database contained 4837 publications reflecting the contributions of 8069 authors. Results from our data analysis suggest that research performance of scholars’ is significantly correlated with scholars’ ego-network measures. In particular, scholars with more co-authors and those who exhibit higher levels of betweenness centrality (i.e., the extent to which a co-author is between another pair of co-authors) perform better in terms of research (i.e., higher g-index). Furthermore, scholars with efficient collaboration networks who maintain a strong co-authorship relationship with one primary co-author within a group of linked co-authors (i.e., co-authors that have joint publications) perform better than those researchers with many relationships to the same group of linked co-authors.     

罗素对莱布尼茨关系理论的批判

在《对莱布尼茨哲学的批评性阐释》一书中,罗素批判了莱布尼茨的关系还原论,认为后者主张"关系可以还原为命题主项的性质"。罗素将此称为"单子论的关系还原论",针对这一理论,罗素构造了自己的论证,进行了反驳。莱布尼茨在自己的著作中,的确将关系视为主项的性质,但并不认为关系可以还原为性质,罗素在这点上误解了莱布尼茨。     

尼耳斯·玻尔原子理论的经验证据

尼耳斯·玻尔关于原子结构的量子理论在1913—1925年占据原子和分子物理学主流地位。这一理论不仅在理论上有创新之处,在经验上也十分成功,这一点成为人们在早期接受该理论的主要原因。玻尔本人十分热衷于实验预测和实验检验,从未忘记一个好的物理学理论必须与实验结果一致。本文将概述玻尔原始理论的一些不太为人所知的相关实验,继而介绍他在1921—1923年提出的修正模型。玻尔雄心勃勃地希望在此模型中能够用元素的电子组态来解释周期系。在本文结尾部分,笔者将简述玻尔轨道原子模型向基于海森伯量子力学的新原子理论的过渡。     

Peers and Spheres of Influence: Situating Rob Kling

In this article we employ a number of bibliometric techniques to capture Rob Kling's intellectual impact and influences over the course of his varied career. We analyze his many publications in terms of type, topic, impact, and rate of co-authorship. We provide a detailed deconstruction of his citation identity (all those scholars whom he cited) and also his citation image makers (all those scholars who cited his work). In addition, we analyze acknowledgment data to gain deeper insights into the sociocognitive networks that sustained, and were sustained by Kling throughout his career.     

扩展玻尔模型：索末菲早期原子理论,1913-1916

本文从阿诺德·索末菲（ArnoldSommerfeld）个人研究日程的角度出发,回顾了索末菲对于玻尔原子模型的反应。他欣赏尼耳斯·玻尔（NielsBohr）对有关氢元素的里德堡公式的推导,但却对其模型有所批评。1913年,索末菲试图通过扩展亨德里克·洛伦兹（HendrikLorentz）关于塞曼效应的经典理论来解释近期发现的帕邢一贝克效应。光谱线在电场中分裂这一发现,是其研究计划中的另一项挑战。经典理论在这两方面都失败了,因此索末菲转而代之以玻尔模型。通过量子化电子绕原子核的径向运动和方位角,索末菲扩展了玻尔模型。在非相对论情形中,他再次得到了里德堡公式（此时用两个量子数总和来取代玻尔模型中的单个量子数）;在相对论情形中,他则得到了后来有名的精细结构公式。虽然关于从玻尔理论到玻尔一索末菲理论的发展一直有详实的历史记载,但从索末菲私人和专业信件往来的角度去考察这一过程中的动力却是一个全新的视角。