The Analysis Of Matter

'The Analysis of Matter' was a companion volume to 'The Analysis of Mind'. Russell develops his views about the philosophy of science out of the theories of scientists such as Einstein, Bohr and Heisenberg.

A fluent English explanation of the Theravada Buddhist analysis of matter for serious students of Buddhist thought. In The Buddhist Analysis of Matter, renowned scholar Y. Karunadasa interprets the Buddhist view of matter as presented in Theravada Buddhism, based on the Abhidhamma. His comprehensive work draws on both the earlier period containing the seven manuals of the Abhidhamma Pitaka and the later period containing Abhidhammic commentaries, sub-commentaries, and such compendiums as the Abhidhammatthasangaha of Acariya Anuruddha. In order to bring the subject into a wider perspective, and for more precision, Karunadasa considers the (non-Theravada) Vaibhasika and Sautrantika schools of Buddhism—two of the leading non-Mahayana schools with whom the Theravadins had much in common, both of which subscribed to a realistic view of existence—as well as later sources such as the post-canonical commentaries and related literary sources of Theravada Buddhism. This book gives us the first clear picture of the Buddhist analysis of matter as such. Earlier works on this subject have tended to focus on the broad philosophical implications arising from the Buddhist theory of matter and were based more on earlier sources, such as the Pali canonical texts. The Buddhist Analysis of Matter provides a much-needed micro view of the topic with a detailed examination of the Theravadins’ list of rupa-dammas—the ultimate irreducible factors into which material existence is analyzed. It exposes the basic material elements into which the whole of material existence is resolved and explains their interconnection and interdependence on the basis of conditional relations. It concludes with an understanding of the nature and relevance of the Buddhist analysis of matter in the context of Buddhism as a religion.

The Analysis of Matter is the product of thirty years of thinking by one of the twentieth century's best-known philosophers. An inquiry into the philosophical foundations of physics, it was written against the background of stunning new developments in physics earlier in the century, above all relativity, as well as the excitement around quantum theory, which was just being developed. Concerned to place physics on a stable footing at a time of great theoretical change, Russell argues that the concept of matter itself can be replaced by a logical construction whose basic foundations are events. He is careful to point out that this does not prove that matter does not exist, but it does show that physicists can get on with their work without assuming that matter does exist. Russell argues that fundamental bits of ''matter'', such as electrons and protons, are simply groups of events connected in a certain way and their properties are all that are required for physics. This Routledge Classics edition includes the 1992 Introduction by John G. Slater.

In "Matter and Consciousness," Paul Churchland clearly presents the advantages and disadvantages of such difficult issues in philosophy of mind as behaviorism, reductive materialism, functionalism, and eliminative materialism. This new edition incorporates the striking developments that have taken place in neuroscience, cognitive science, and artificial intelligence and notes their expanding relevance to philosophical issues. Churchland organizes and clarifies the new theoretical and experimental results of the natural sciences for a wider philosophical audience, observing that this research bears directly on questions concerning the basic elements of cognitive activity and their implementation in real physical systems. (How is it, he asks, that living creatures perform some cognitive tasks so swiftly and easily, where computers do them only badly or not at all?) Most significant for philosophy, Churchland asserts, is the support these results tend to give to the reductive and the eliminative versions of materialism. "A Bradford Book"

"Newton on Matter and Activity shows persuasively that while the Principia remains within the first two stages of inquiry (mathematical and physical) into nature, Newton spent the next forty years of his life making a philosophical analysis of matter, force, and transmission of force. Close attention is paid to methodological issues, especially Newton's move beyond inductivism and toward a reproductive theoretical schema of interpretation required to treat of attraction, hardness, and impenetrability." —Cross Currents

This dictionary contains more than 1000 selections from over 100 of Russell’s books and articles. It serves as an introduction to Russell’s brilliance in analysis, argument, and exposition which develops a clear notion of his method of approach, his fundamental principles and many of his leading ideas. Found here are definitions and terms reflected in the topics of mind, matter and morals.

Just how well can democracy incorporate knowledge and expertise through public policy analysts? This book examines the evolution of policy analysis, its use in legislative and regulatory bodies, and its use within the federal executive branch to improve governmental services. As Friedman and his colleagues show, policy analysis is not a panacea, but it generates net social benefits. The essays consider whether policy analysis is only effective when it complements democratic decision-making and whether it improves policy outcomes by fostering better use of evidence in considering alternatives.

Suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduate students of physics, this uniquely comprehensive overview provides a rigorous, integrated treatment of physical principles and techniques related to gases, liquids, solids, and their phase transitions. 1975 edition.