Between Physics and History. A Place of Geology in the Classification of Sciences

• Authors: Joanna Gęgotek

Title variants

PL

Między fizyką a historią. Miejsce geologii w klasyfikacji nauk

EN

Between Physics and History. A Place of Geology in the Classification of Sciences

• Languages of publication: PL

Abstracts

PL

Geology is an example of the "historical-natural" sciences, and it combines methodological elements of typical natural sciences, as physics, and the methodological elements of history. As a result, there are some problems with placing it in the classification of sciences. The article consists of two parts. In the first one there is presented in short form process of developing of modern geology. Using as examples the ideas of James Hutton, Georges Cuvier and Charles Lyell the author shows how the opinion about proper method and aims of geology was changing at the turn of 18th and 19th centuries. The final point of the process was the classification of sciences presented by William Whewell, who classified geology as a palaetiological science. The second part of the article is devoted to the place of geology in the contemporary classifications of sciences presented by main Polish methodologists. There are discussed the classifications of Kazimierz Twardowski, Tadeusz Kotarbiński, Władysław Tatarkiewicz, Kazimierz Ajdukiewicz, Władysław Krajewski and Adam Grobler.

• Publisher: University of Warsaw, Institute of Philosophy
• Journal: Filozofia Nauki
• Year: 2009
• Volume: 17
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 21-47

Dates

published

2009-06-01

Contributors

author

Joanna Gęgotek