Overview
Approaches science, art and literature as a single culture
Explores the history of chemistry and physics through the lens of poems, novels, or objects of fine art
Discusses the role of doubt and error in scientific thinking
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Table of contents (42 chapters)
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Mythology
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Alchemy
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Poems and Science
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Novels
Keywords
About this book
This book argues that science and the arts are not two different cultures, but rather different manifestations of the same culture. Divided into seven parts, it presents a collection of translated and revised essays, mostly at the intersection between realia and humaniora. In the first two parts, the author discusses how some myths, both ancient and modern, have become intertwined with scientific ideas. The chapters in the following four parts address poems, novels, plays, and pieces of fine art that have some scientific content, as well as scientific findings which seem to have also been discovered in art. The chapters in the final part examine a number of inspiring doubts and necessary errors in the history of science. This collection of essays, most of which were originally published in Hungarian, is intended for the general public and as such includes no mathematical, physical or chemical formulae. It offers a unique resource for all those curious about the interconnections between science, art and literature.
Authors and Affiliations
About the author
Róbert Schiller (1935), born in Budapest, Hungary, graduated from R. Eötvös University, Budapest in 1958, and completed his PhD in 1966 and DSc in 1974. He is a titular professor at R. Eötvös University and Dr. habil Privatdozent at Budapest Technical University. After completing his studies, Professor Schiller joined the Chemistry Department of the Central Research Institute for Physics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, where he is now a Research Professor Emeritus. Having worked at several laboratories abroad, he e.g. spent a full year at the Paterson Laboratories, Manchester, UK. His main research interests are in radiation chemistry, electrochemistry, and the theory of transport processes. Currently, he is investigating the effects of fast ions on metals. He has taught courses on radiation chemistry and statistical mechanics at R. Eötvös University, and has published several textbooks in these areas. Apart from his research papers, Professor Schiller has also written books and a number of essays popularizing science. He was awarded the Wigner Prize by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences in 2001, was voted the popular science author for the year 2012, and asteroid no.196005 was named Robertschiller in his honour.
Bibliographic Information
Book Title: Between One Culture
Book Subtitle: Essays on Science and Art
Authors: Robert Schiller
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-20538-6
Publisher: Springer Cham
eBook Packages: Chemistry and Materials Science, Chemistry and Material Science (R0)
Copyright Information: Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2019
Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-030-20537-9Published: 19 September 2019
Softcover ISBN: 978-3-030-20540-9Published: 19 September 2020
eBook ISBN: 978-3-030-20538-6Published: 04 September 2019
Edition Number: 1
Number of Pages: XVII, 228
Number of Illustrations: 20 b/w illustrations, 42 illustrations in colour
Additional Information: Fundamentally revised from original Hungarian editions published by Typotex, Budapest, 2004 and 2017
Topics: History of Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, History of Science, History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics, Philosophy of Science