NB: The registration form and paper titles for this conference are now
available at: website:
http://www.dur.ac.uk/m.d.eddy/Matters_of_Substance.html
Matters of Substance:
Philosophical, Medical and Scientific Perspectives, 1700-1900
Durham University
St Chad's College
28-30 August 2006
Objectives
The objectives of the conference are: (i) to identify the conceptual,
theoretical and experimental context of the identification of the
elements in 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century chemistry; (ii) to identify
the conceptual, theoretical, experimental and clinical context of
substances in 18th-, 19th- and 20th-century medicine and pharmacology;
(iii) to identify central historiographical issues and sources in the
investigation of the development of the concept of chemical substance;
(iv) to identify and address, through the work of historical and
contemporary philosophers, key philosophical questions connected with
the concept of chemical substance, which will include differing
conceptions of substance identity and its relationship to microphysical
structure and experimental methods, and the distinction between
elements, compounds and mixtures.
Rational
The concept of a chemical substance is central to the foundations of
both the physical and biomedical sciences. This conference will make and
renew contacts between philosophers and historians of science and
medicine working on this relatively neglected topic, and thereby
stimulate further research and interdisciplinary collaboration.
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Dr Matthew D Eddy, Department of Philosophy, Durham University, 50 Old Elvet, Durham, DH1 3HN, United Kingdom. (44) 191 334 6550. http://www.dur.ac.uk/m.d.eddy/
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