Siegfried Bodenmann - Böcker

This book begins with an observation: At the time when empiricism arose and slowly established itself, the word itself had not yet been coined. It is a story of integration, appropriation and transformation more than one of mere opposition. We asked twelve authors to explore these fascinating new facets of empiricisms.

This book begins with an observation: At the time when empiricism arose and slowly established itself, the word itself had not yet been coined. Hence the central question of this volume: What does it mean to conduct empirical science in early modern Europe? How can we catch the elusive figure of the empiricist?Our answer focuses on the practices established by representative scholars. This approach allows us to demonstrate two things. First, that empiricism is not a monolith but exists in a plurality of forms. Today’s understanding of the empirical sciences was gradually shaped by the exchanges among scholars combining different traditions, world views and experimental settings. Second, the long proclaimed antagonism between empiricism and rationalism is not the whole story. Our case studies show that a very fruitful exchange between both systems of thought occurred. It is a story of integration, appropriation and transformation more than one of mere opposition.We asked twelve authors to explore these fascinating new facets of empiricisms. The plurality of their voices mirrors the multiple faces of the concept itself. Every contribution can be understood as a piece of a much larger puzzle. Together, they help us better understand the emergence of empiricism and the inventiveness of the scientific enterprise.

This volume of the Opera omnia includes Euler's correspondences in French with his Swiss countrymen Louis Bertrand, Charles Bonnet, Marc-Michel Bousquet, Jean de Castillon, Gabriel Cramer, Philibert Cramer, Gaspard Cuentz, Albrecht von Haller, Georges-Louis Lesage et Johann Caspar Wettstein, and one letter to the German Johann Michael von Loen who is mentioned in the Euler-Bertrand correspondence. The first letter from Euler to d'Alembert recently rediscovered has been added as supplement. Whereas the correspondence with Gabriel Cramer and Georges-Louis Lesage deals mainly with mathematical and physical subjects (Cramer's rule, Cramer's paradox, Lesage's theory of gravity), many letters exchanged with other Swiss correspondents provide new information about Euler's non-scientific activities, like the commerce of almanacs, negotiations with publishers, the support of young scientists in search of a position, and a variety of private matters.-----Ce volume contient les correspondances qu'Euler a entretenues avec plusieurs compatriotes suisses en langue française. Il s'agit de Louis Bertrand, Charles Bonnet, Marc-Michel Bousquet, Jean de Castillon, Gabriel Cramer, Philibert Cramer, Gaspard Cuentz, Albrecht von Haller, Georges-Louis Lesage et Johann Caspar Wettstein. Bien qu'il n'ait pas été suisse, une lettre de Johann Michael von Loen, personnage mentionné dans la correspondance Euler-Bertrand, figure également dans ce volume. De plus, la première lettre d'Euler à d'Alembert récemment redécouverte a été ajoutée en annexe.Tandis que les correspondances avec Gabriel Cramer et Georges-Louis Lesage portent essentiellement sur des sujets de mathématiques et de physique (règle de Cramer, paradoxe de Cramer, théorie de la gravitation de Lesage), une grande partie des lettres qu'Euler a échangées avec d'autres compatriotes reflètent ses activités non scientifiques, comme le commerce d'almanachs, les négociations avec des éditeurs-imprimeursà propos de la publication de ses ouvrages, ses interventions en faveur de jeunes scientifiques à la recherche d'un poste, et des affaires privées.