"Science et méthode" de Henri Poincaré. Mathématicien, physicien et philosophe français (1854-1912).

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"Dernières pensées" de Henri Poincaré. Mathématicien, physicien et philosophe français (1854-1912).

Poincaré tries to tackle the question "Can science sway us into materialism?". In other words, he analyzes if science - in particular Physics - and its theories are dependent on a materialistic ontological view of the world. His final answer appears to be "no". However, in order to reach this conclusion he resorts to a brief history of Physics, providing an insightful account on the evolution of the concept of atom from Democritus to the, then, recent discoveries on the composition (...) of the atom. In his opinion, science swung and will keep swinging between two opposing approaches over the constitution of nature: the discrete and the continuous approach. (shrink)

Nous reproduisons ici, avec l’aimable autorisation de la Hofbibliothek Aschaffenburg (Allemagne), la courte correspondance inédite entre Dingler et Henri Poincaré. Cette correspondance, conservée aux Archives Dingler dans la Hofbibliothek Aschaffenburg (et mentionnée dans le catalogue du Nachlass de Dingler [Wolters & Schroeder-Heister 1979]), consiste en trois documents : un brouillon en allemand de la main de Dingler, sa traduction française par une autre plume, mais avec des corrections ef...

La logique de l'infini (Texte de juillet 1909)--La morale et la science.--L'évolution des lois.--Les rapports de la matière et de l'éther.--La logique de l'infini; (Texte du 3 mai 1912)--L'espace et le temps.--L'hypothèse des quanta.--L'union pour l'éducation morale.--Pourquoi l'espace a trois dimensions.--Appendice: Les fondements de la géométrie. Cornot et les principes du calcul infinitésimal. Le libre examen en matière scientifique. Le démon d'Arrhénius.

Le savant et la science -- Le raisonnement mathématique -- La mécanique nouvelle -- La science astronomique.

During his lifetime, Henri Poincaré published three major philosophical books which achieved great success: "La science et l'hypothèse" (1902), "La valeur de la science" (1905) and "Science et méthode" (1908). After his death in 1913, a fourth volume of his philosophical works was published by his heirs as "Dernières pensées" (1913). The four books constitute the core of Poincaré's philosophic works and were given an ovation by scientific and general public. Around 1919, Gustave Le Bon wrote to Poincaré's widow. As (...) the director of the "Bibliothèque de Philosophie Scientifique at Flammarion", he asked her permission to publish a second posthumous volume. "L'Opportunisme scientifique" was intended to be the fifth and final volume of Poincaré's philosophical writings. Louis Rougier had elaborated the project, with the collaboration of Gustave Le Bon, and the approval of the philosopher Émile Boutroux and his son Pierre. Because of the reservations of the mathematician's heirs, this book was never published and Dernières pensées remained his last philosophical book. Nevertheless Poincaré's correspondence - which is kept in the Poincaré Archives at University Nancy 2 - contains a large amount of documents concerning the project, its justification and the discussions between Louis Rougier and the mathematician's heirs. The aim of this book is to restore this episode, which gives some crucial informations about editorial practices of Poincaré and about the posterity of his philosophic thinking. (shrink)