Books by Theodore Arabatzis
Representing Electrons: A Biographical Approach to Theoretical Entities
Einstein & Relativity: Historical Studies (in Greek)
Η δημιουργία και η εδραίωση της Ειδικής Θεωρίας της Σχετικότητας έχουν αποτελέσει αντικείμενο συσ... more Η δημιουργία και η εδραίωση της Ειδικής Θεωρίας της Σχετικότητας έχουν αποτελέσει αντικείμενο συστηματικής ιστορικής έρευνας. Οι ιστορικοί των φυσικών επιστημών έχουν διερευνήσει, μεταξύ άλλων, τα ακόλουθα ερωτήματα: Ποια ήταν τα προβλήματα που απασχολούσαν τους φυσικούς του τέλους του 19ου και των αρχών του 20ού αιώνα; Πώς συνέβαλαν άλλοι φυσικοί στη δημιουργία της Ειδικής Θεωρίας της Σχετικότητας; Ποια ήταν η προβληματική του Αϊνστάιν που τον οδήγησε στην διατύπωση της θεωρίας; Ποιες φιλοσοφικές, πολιτισμικές και τεχνολογικές επιρροές μπορεί να διακρίνει κανείς στη σκέψη του Αϊνστάιν; Τί αντιδράσεις συνάντησε η Ειδική Θεωρία της Σχετικότητας και πώς καθιερώθηκε στην κοινότητα των φυσικών; Ποιες ήταν οι ιδιαιτερότητες της πρόσληψης της θεωρίας σε διαφορετικές χώρες; Αυτά είναι και τα ερωτήματα στα οποία επιχειρεί να απαντήσει η παρούσα συλλογή, που ξεκινά με ένα κείμενο των επιμελητών σχετικά με την ιστορική και ιστοριογραφική προβληματική γύρω από την Ειδική Θεωρία της Σχετικότητας, συνεχίζει με το αυτοβιογραφικό κείμενο του ίδιου του Αϊνστάιν, και συμπεριλαμβάνει τα κλασικά πλέον άρθρα των ιστορικών των επιστημών Gerald Holton, Stanley Goldberg και Peter Galison.
Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions Revisited
The Crisis in Physics and the Weimar Republic: The Cultural History of Quantum Theory (in Greek)
Το βιβλίο περιλαμβάνει τέσσερα άρθρα που εξετάζουν την περίπλοκη σχέση ανάμεσα στην κβαντική φυσι... more Το βιβλίο περιλαμβάνει τέσσερα άρθρα που εξετάζουν την περίπλοκη σχέση ανάμεσα στην κβαντική φυσική και στο κοινωνικο-πολιτισμικό περιβάλλον στο οποίο αυτή διαμορφώθηκε. Στο πρώτο άρθρο, του αμερικανού ιστορικού των επιστημών Πολ Φόρμαν, υποστηρίζεται ότι η διαμόρφωση της κβαντικής φυσικής ήταν άμεσα συνδεδεμένη με την περιρρέουσα ατμόσφαιρα στη γερμανόφωνη Ευρώπη μετά τον Πρώτο Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο. Ένα από τα βασικά χαρακτηριστικά της νέας κβαντομηχανικής, ο μη αιτιακός χαρακτήρας της, δεν ήταν, σύμφωνα με τον Φόρμαν, προϊόν των εσωτερικών εξελίξεων στη φυσική, αλλά αποτέλεσμα της οικειοποίησης από πολλούς φυσικούς της ιδεολογίας του ανορθολογισμού που κατείχε ηγεμονική παρουσία στη Δημοκρατία της Βαϊμάρης. Το δεύτερο και το τρίτο άρθρο, των ιστορικών της φυσικής Τζων Χέντρι και Νόρτον Γουάιζ, αντίστοιχα, εκφράζουν με αντιπροσωπευτικό τρόπο την πρόσληψη της «θέσης Φόρμαν» από την κοινότητα των ιστορικών των επιστημών. Ο τόμος κλείνει με μια πρόσφατη εργασία του ίδιου του Φόρμαν, όπου απαντά στην κριτική που ασκήθηκε στο έργο του από το 1971, όταν πρωτοδημοσιεύθηκε. Στόχος του βιβλίου είναι να παρουσιάσει στο ελληνικό αναγνωστικό κοινό τη συζήτηση για τη «θέση Φόρμαν» – μια ρηξικέλευθη προσέγγιση που έχει συζητηθεί πολύ ανάμεσα σε φυσικούς, μαθηματικούς, και ιστορικούς και φιλοσόφους των επιστημών – διερευνώντας τόσο τις ιστοριογραφικές προκείμενες της κοινωνικής και πολιτισμικής ιστορίας των επιστημών όσο και την ιστορία της σύγχρονης φυσικής.
Relocating the History of Science: Essays in Honor of Kostas Gavroglu.
Big Science in the 21st Century: Economic and societal impacts
Authored by a diverse group of contributors, Big Science in the 21st Century offers a multifacete... more Authored by a diverse group of contributors, Big Science in the 21st Century offers a multifaceted view of the challenges, merits, and transformations of Big Science across different disciplines and geographical boundaries. It delves into the transformative role of Big Science in shaping the world we live in, from its historical roots in the aftermath of the Second World War to its contemporary interdisciplinary and international nature. The book is organized in five parts, each offering unique insights into the impact of Big Science. The first part looks at lessons from Big Science organizations and best practices in increasing the return of benefits to society. The second part offers the voice of key economists who have worked on assessment exercises concerning the socioeconomic benefits of large-scale research infrastructures. The third part traces the development of Big Science in the aftermath of World War II. The fourth part focus on the educational and cultural impacts that Big Science has beyond the laboratory, from the art gallery to the school classroom. The last part brings a more global perspective with contributions from other continents outside North America and Western Europe. The book is aimed at professionals involved in science policy and administration, economists interested in evaluating the results of scientific research, historians of science and technology, and anyone with an interest in scientific outreach and communication.
The Perils and Promises of Prediction in the Natural Sciences: Historical and Epistemological Perspectives
Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science, 2026
This book provides a novel approach to a key topic in the history and philosophy of science, the ... more This book provides a novel approach to a key topic in the history and philosophy of science, the role and status of prediction in the natural sciences. In contrast to most of the literature on the topic, this volume problematizes what constitutes a successful prediction. Even in fields where the value of prediction is not disputed, the role and status of prediction may change, and it is not always clear when a prediction is worth testing. Furthermore, this book examines how the gap between high-level theory and predictions of particular phenomena is bridged by using modelling and computer simulation, and concludes by discussing the dual role of scientific prediction: advancing both scientific knowledge as well as science policy. Written by top scholars in the field, this book is of great interest to historians, philosophers, and other students and scholars of science.
Special Issues by Theodore Arabatzis
Integrated History and Philosophy of Science in Practice
Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 2015
This special issue of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science presents a selection of nine p... more This special issue of Studies in History and Philosophy of Science presents a selection of nine papers from the &HPS4 Integrated History and Philosophy of Science Conference, which was held in Athens, Greece, March 15-18, 2012.
Special &HPS3 Issue
Perspectives on Science, 2012
This special issue presents selected contributions to the conference “Integrated History and Phil... more This special issue presents selected contributions to the conference “Integrated History and Philosophy of Science” (&HPS3) held at Indiana University in September 2010.
Neusis, 2025
This special issue of Neusis focuses on the role of prediction in scientific practice and examine... more This special issue of Neusis focuses on the role of prediction in scientific practice and examines the following questions: How has the role and status of prediction changed historically? How is the gap between theory and prediction of specific phenomena bridged? What is considered a valid and successful prediction in different areas of the natural sciences?
Papers by Theodore Arabatzis
Historical Studies in the Natural Sciences, 2025
We trace the emergence of computational methods in quantum chemistry, from their introduction in ... more We trace the emergence of computational methods in quantum chemistry, from their introduction in the late 1950s until their acceptance and use as a primary exploratory tool in the 1980s. We argue for the following theses: First, to strengthen the independence of computational models from experiments, quantum chemists used rhetorical strategies that tended to overstate the relation of their models with theory and understate the way they were guided by experiment. Second, alliances with organic chemists were crucial for disseminating computations. Third, pictorial representations facilitated the understanding of abstract theoretical entities, such as orbitals. Fourth, in the 1970s, evaluation strategies for the performance of models became a fundamental part of computational modeling in quantum chemistry. Fifth, the epistemological and institutional status of the new methods-called computer simulations-were uncertain and became the objects of negotiations and sometimes controversies between computational chemists and traditional bench chemists. Finally, the new methods were accepted as complementary to conventional experimental methods by the early 1980s.
Centaurus, 2024
Since the early days of its professionalization, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the hi... more Since the early days of its professionalization, in the aftermath of the Second World War, the history of science has been seen as a bridge between the natural sciences and the humanities. However, only one aspect of this triadic nexus, the relations between the history of science and the natural sciences, has been extensively discussed. The other aspect, the relations between the history of science and the humanities, has been less
commented upon. With this paper I hope to make a small step towards redressing this imbalance, by discussing the relationships between the history of science and two other humanistic disciplines that have been historically and institutionally associated with it: the philosophy of science and general history. I argue that both of these relationships are marked by the characteristics of an unrequited friendship: on the one hand, historians of science have ignored, for the most part, calls for collaboration from their
philosopher colleagues; and, on the other hand, historians specializing in other branches of history have been rather indifferent, again for the most part, to the efforts of historians of science to understand science as a historical phenomenon. I attempt to offer a diagnosis of this regrettable situation and a suggestion for overcoming it.
J. Schickore, W. R. Newman (eds.), Elusive Phenomena, Unwieldy Things, Archimedes 71, 2024
Theory and experiment went hand in hand in the work of Lord Rayleigh, in which the quest for rigo... more Theory and experiment went hand in hand in the work of Lord Rayleigh, in which the quest for rigor was a ubiquitous theme. To Rayleigh’s mind, though, and in contrast to mathematicians, physicists could proceed in their investigations without seeking absolute rigor. In his experimental practice, pursuing rigor involved the application of control strategies, which pervaded his work at various levels. Moreover, experimental control had various aims, such as standardizing measurement units in determining the ohm and validating experimental results in the discovery of argon. In the former case, Rayleigh and his team varied the design of their apparatus to control the experimental conditions. Dealing with errors was the main aim of their control practices and lay at the heart of their methodology. In the latter case, control was present in every step of the discovery process: the detection of discrepancies between the densities of atmospheric and “chemical” nitrogen, the identification of argon as a constituent of the atmosphere, and the subsequent exploration of its properties. The aim of this paper is to investigate and contrast the strategies of control employed in those two cases and to clarify their various purposes.
Introduction to part III: Big Science in a historical perspective
P. Charitos et al (eds.), Big Science in the 21st Century: Economic and Societal Impacts, 2023
Science in Context, 2021
The aim of this article is to make a case for the pertinence of a biographical approach to the hi... more The aim of this article is to make a case for the pertinence of a biographical approach to the history of scientific objects. I first lay out the rationale of that approach by
revisiting and extending my earlier work on the topic. I consider the characteristics of scientific objects that motivate the biographical metaphor, and I indicate its virtues and limitations by bringing out the positive and negative analogies between biographies of scientific objects and ordinary biographies. I then point out various ways in which scientific objects may pass away and argue that their demise should be conceptualized as a process. Finally, I sketch the history of the concept of “ether” in nineteenth and early twentieth century physics and suggest that it lends itself particularly well to a biographical treatment. To that effect, I discuss the identity, heuristic character, and recalcitrance of the ether and examine the reasons that may have led to its passing.
Quantum Chemistry in Historical Perspective
Quantum Chemistry in Historical Perspective, 2022
Quantum chemistry is a firmly established branch within theoretical chemistry. However, in the la... more Quantum chemistry is a firmly established branch within theoretical chemistry. However, in the late 1920s and early 1930s when the first foundational papers and books appeared, mostly written by physicists as well as by chemists or chemical physicists, the disciplinary identity of the emerging field was a contentious issue: Was it physics or was it chemistry? This question was tied to the problem of reductionism and received different answers, which led to different ways of practicing quantum chemistry and eventually stabilized its identity as an in-between/boundary discipline. During its subsequent development the question of disciplinary identity continued to be central, as quantum chemistry established connections to other disciplines and was deeply shaped by computing technology. In this chapter we discuss the historical development of quantum chemistry, integrating several strands, conceptual, institutional, methodological, and epistemological.
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Books by Theodore Arabatzis
Special Issues by Theodore Arabatzis
Papers by Theodore Arabatzis
commented upon. With this paper I hope to make a small step towards redressing this imbalance, by discussing the relationships between the history of science and two other humanistic disciplines that have been historically and institutionally associated with it: the philosophy of science and general history. I argue that both of these relationships are marked by the characteristics of an unrequited friendship: on the one hand, historians of science have ignored, for the most part, calls for collaboration from their
philosopher colleagues; and, on the other hand, historians specializing in other branches of history have been rather indifferent, again for the most part, to the efforts of historians of science to understand science as a historical phenomenon. I attempt to offer a diagnosis of this regrettable situation and a suggestion for overcoming it.
revisiting and extending my earlier work on the topic. I consider the characteristics of scientific objects that motivate the biographical metaphor, and I indicate its virtues and limitations by bringing out the positive and negative analogies between biographies of scientific objects and ordinary biographies. I then point out various ways in which scientific objects may pass away and argue that their demise should be conceptualized as a process. Finally, I sketch the history of the concept of “ether” in nineteenth and early twentieth century physics and suggest that it lends itself particularly well to a biographical treatment. To that effect, I discuss the identity, heuristic character, and recalcitrance of the ether and examine the reasons that may have led to its passing.