Some years ago, in the course of a general critique of what has sometimes been referred to as the covering law theory of explanation, I made the claim that perfectly satisfactory explanations can often be provided by indicating only one or a few necessary conditions, where we remain ignorant of the sufficient conditions, of what we nevertheless claim to understand. What seemed to me one identifiable type of such explanations I called “explaining how-possibly,” because it was a type more naturally (...) given in response to the question how it could be that a certain thing happened than to the more familiar question why it did so. In the present paper I propose to review certain objections to this thesis which have come to my attention in the interval, and to make such concessions as these seem to require. In fact, the concessions will be minor, since the general thesis still seems to me quite defensible. (shrink)

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

First published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The generalized Liouville equation is studied in a new light using the Lie derivative of a differential form with respect to a vector field.

It is demonstrated with the help of an example that in general one cannot derive a constant of motion from a conservation law even if one assumes that the field under consideration and all its derivatives with respect to the space coordinates vanish rapidly as the space coordinates tend to infinity.

Ludwig Traube has remarked that ‘ Einer der sonderbarsten Abschnitte in der von Emil Baehrens rekonstruierten Anthologia latina ist der, welcher die Gedichte Römischer Kaiser zusammenfasst, carmen 122–127 .” Of these six poems he points out that Nos. 125 and 126 are early mediaeval epitaphs, No. 127, Hermaphroditus, is later mediaeval, and that Nos. 123 and 124, which were favourites in the Middle Ages, are improperly ascribed to the Emperor Hadrian. Of the remaining poem, No 122, he says nothing. It (...) was first printed by Hermann Hagen in the Rheinisches Museum, xxxv, pp. 569 sqq. , from the Berne MS. No. 109, a tenth century MS. of French origin, partly written in Tironian notes. Hagen gives a facsimile of the entry in the MS. which bears the title Octa. aug. This is the authority for attributing the poem to Augustus. (shrink)

Various aspects of the integrability of dynamical systems are discussed with the help of the singular point analysis. In particular the connection with the Painlevé property is described. Several examples will serve as illustrations.

Originally published in 1926, this book presents a theory of educational practice based upon finding a middle ground between a newer approach emphasising the freedom of the child and 'the old system founded on fear and repression'. Notes are incorporated throughout and a short, chronological bibliography is also included. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in educational theory and the history of education.

Originally published in 1915 as part of a series of handbooks for teachers, this book addresses the teaching of classics, particularly Latin and ancient Greek, in a schooling system which has grown to see the subject as largely irrelevant. Jones argues that studying ancient languages is best done through the 'direct method' of instruction, with an emphasis on composition in the original languages and study of the classical cultures. This book will be of value to anyone with an interest in (...) the history of education, classical education in particular. (shrink)

First Published in 1999. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.