Organisers:
Britta Goers, Berlin-Brandenburgische Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Nikos Psarros, Philosophical Institute, University of Leipzig in
co-operation with the Centre for Higher Studies, University of Leipzig.
Advisory Board:
Bernadette Bensaude-Vincent, Paris; Christoph Meinel, Regensburg; Mary-Jo Nye, Corvallis, Klaus Ruthenberg, Coburg; Pirmin Stekeler-Weithofer, Leipzig.
Motive and Aim:
Ostwald commenced his philosophical teaching in 1900 at the University of Leipzig with a series of lectures on Naturphilosophie. On occasion of the centennial of this event the workshop will try to bundle up the recent research on Ostwald focussing on following topics:
Ostwald and Chemistry
Ostwald and Philosophy
Ostwald and the Media
The scope of the workshop embraces, however, also Ostwald's scientific, philosophical and public environment, especially his reception on the national and international level and the field of his enemies and allies.
Wilhelm Ostwald
Wilhelm Ostwald (1853-1932), chemist, philosopher and editor of a number of scientific and philosophical journals, was an illustrious personality in the European scientific community of the turn of the last century.
His person unifies in a unique manner many aspects of the spirit of this epoch: scientific optimism, technological progress and concomitant differentiation of the sciences, posi-tivism and Naturphilosophie, efforts to make science and scientific knowledge available to and understandable for the broad masses of the population in the course of a process of social and political emancipation, and a world society caught in the dilemma of national-ism and international co-operation.
Ostwald's life can be regarded as a permanent ride on the ridge between these aspects: the professor of Chemistry influences and shapes the development of this science, he creates an original philosophical idea (Energetical Monism), he extends the impact of his ideas in the scientific community and public of his time by founding scientific journals and in the form of a tireless literary activity.
Form of contributions: Oral presentations that should not exceed 30 min.
Deadline for submissions of papers: May 31, 2000.
Please send abstracts (1 page, A4) to Nikos Psarros, Institut fuer Philosophie, Universitaet Leipzig, Burgstr. 21, D-04109 Leipzig, FRG. Fax: + 49 341 9735849, e-mail: psarros@rz.uni-leipzig.de
Copyright ©1996-2002, H-Soz-u-Kult · Humanities · Sozial- und Kulturgeschichte