Eric Scerri
| Eric Scerri | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fields | Chemistry; logic, history and philosophy of science, chemistry and the periodic table; chemical education |
| Institutions | University of California, Los Angeles |
| Alma mater | Westfield College, (University of London); University of Cambridge; University of Southampton; King's College London |
| Influences | Karl Popper; Heinz Post |
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Website http://www.ericscerri.com/ | |
Eric R. Scerri is a chemist, writer and philosopher of science, of Maltese origin.[1] He is a lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles; and the founder and editor-in-chief of Foundations of Chemistry, an international peer reviewed journal covering the history and philosophy of chemistry, and chemical education.[2][3]
He is a world authority on the history and philosophy of the periodic table and is the author and editor of several books in this and related fields.[4] Dr. Scerri was a participant in the 2014 PBS documentary film, The Mystery of Matter.
Dr Scerri received his BSc from Westfield College (University of London), his Certificate in Postgraduate Study from the University of Cambridge, his MPhil from the University of Southampton, and his PhD from King's College London.[3]
Scerri's research has mainly been in the history and philosophy of chemistry, in particular on the question of the extent to which chemistry reduces to quantum mechanics. He has specialized in the study of the periodic table of the elements, including its historical origins and its philosophical significance. More recent writings have included critiques of claims for the emergence of chemistry and the existence of downward causation.
In addition to historical and philosophical work Scerri has published numerous articles in the chemical education literature, including accounts of the electronic structures of transition metals and the occurrence of anomalous electronic configurations.
In 2013 Scerri published a book entitled A Tale of Seven Elements in which he examined such themes as priority debates while recounting the story of the discovery of the remaining seven elements within what he calls the infra-uranium elements. Most recently he has proposed a new evolutionary approach to the philosophy of science that is based on seven case studies on little known scientists such as John Nicholson, Anton Van den Broek and Edmund Stoner. Scerri has argued that these lesser known figures are just as significant as the heroic personalities in that they constitute the missing gaps in a gradual evolutionary and organic growth in the body of scientific knowledge. Although Scerri rejects the occurrence of scientific revolutions as envisioned by Thomas Kuhn he very much supports Kuhn's notion that scientific progress is non-teleological and that there is no approach towards an external truth.
Publications (recent and notable)
Books
- Scerri E 2016, A Tale of Seven Scientists, and a New Philosophy of Science, Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 978-0190232993
- —— & Fisher G, 2016, Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 9780190494599
- —— & McIntyre L, 2015, Philosophy of Chemistry: Growth of a New Discipline, Springer, Dordrecht, Berlin, ISBN 978-94-017-9364-3 (ebook) ISBN 978-94-017-9363-6 (hardcover) doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9364- 3 ISSN 0068-0346 (series)
- —— 2013, A tale of seven elements, Oxford University Press, Oxford, ISBN 9780195391312
- —— 2013 (ed.), 30-second elements: The 50 most significant elements, each explained in half a minute, Metro Books, New York, ISBN 9781435145214
- —— 2011, The periodic table: A very short introduction, Oxford University Press, Oxford, ISBN 9780199582495
- —— 2009, Selected papers on the periodic table, Imperial College Press, London, ISBN 9781848164253
- —— 2008, Collected papers on philosophy of chemistry, Imperial College Press, London, ISBN 9781848161375
- —— 2007, The periodic table: Its story and its significance, Oxford University Press, New York, ISBN 9780195305739
- —— & Baird D, McIntyre L, 2006, Philosophy of Chemistry: Synthesis of a New Discipline, Springer, Dordrecht, ISBN 1402032560
Articles
- —— 2017, On the Madelung Rule, Response to Marc Henry’s “Super-Saturated Chemistry”, Inference (on-line inter-disciplinary journal), March, 2017. http://inference-review.com/article/on-the-madelung-rule
- —— 2016, 'The Changing Views of a Philosopher of Chemistry on the Question of Reduction', in E.R. Scerri, G. Fisher eds., Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry, Oxford University Press, New York
- —— 2014, ''The discovery of the periodic table as a case of simultaneous discovery', Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A, vol. 373, no. 2037
- —— 2013, 'The trouble with the aufbau principle', Education in Chemistry, vol. 50, no. 6, pp. 24–26
- —— 2012, 'Mendeleev's periodic table is finally completed and what to do about group 3?', Chemistry International, vol. 34, no. 4
- —— 2010, 'Chemistry in its element – Lawrencium', Royal Society of Chemistry, viewed 30 December 2013
- —— 2009, 'Periodic change', Chemistry World, March, pp. 46–49
- —— 2007, 'The ambiguity of reduction', Hyle, vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 67–81
- —— 2007, 'Trouble in the periodic table', Education in Chemistry, January, pp. 13–17
- —— 2007, 'Reduction and Emergence in Chemistry - Two Recent Approaches', "Philosophy of Science," 74, pp. 920–931
- —— 2005, 'Some Aspects of the Metaphysics of Chemistry and the Nature of the Elements', Hyle, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 127–145
- —— 2003, 'Hafnium', Chemical & Engineering News, vol. 81, no. 36, p. 138, doi:10.1021/cen-v081n036.p138
- —— 2003, 'Philosophy of Chemistry', Chemistry International, vol. 25, no. 3, pp. 6–8
- —— & Worrall J 2001, 'Prediction and the periodic table', Studies in history and philosophy of science, 32, no. 3, pp. 407–452
- —— 2001, 'The Recently Claimed Observation of Atomic Orbitals and Some Related Philosophical Issues', Philosophy of Science, 68, (proceedings), pp. S76–S78
- —— 1997, 'Has the Periodic Table Been Successfully Axiomatized?' Erkenntnis, vol. 47, no. 2, pp. 229–243
- —— & McIntyre L 1997, 'The Case for the Philosophy of Chemistry', Synthese, vol. 111, pp. 213–232
- —— 1994, 'Has Chemistry Been at Least Approximately Reduced to Quantum Mechanics ?', Philosophy of Science, PSA Proceedings, vol. 1, pp. 160–170
- —— 1991, 'Chemistry, spectroscopy, and the question of reduction', Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 68, no. 2, pp. 122–126
- —— 1991, 'The Electronic Configuration Model, Quantum Mechanics and Reduction', British Journal for the Philosophy of Science, vol. 42, no. 3, pp. 309–325
- —— 1986, 'The Tao of Chemistry', Journal of Chemical Education, vol. 63, no. 2, pp. 106–107
References
- ↑ Baykoucheva S 2010, 'Eric Scerri: A philosopher’s view on the periodic table of the elements and its significance', Chemical Information Bulletin, vol. 62, no. 1, Spring, pp. 27–32
- ↑ Rocke A 2012, 'A place at the periodic table', The Times Higher Education Supplement, 15 August
- 1 2 UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry 2013, 'Scerri, Eric R.', University of California. For current biographical information see the home page of Eric Scerri
- ↑ Sella A 2013, 'An elementary history lesson', New Scientist, 13 August
External links
- Home page of Eric Scerri
- Foundations of Chemistry
- Career Advice for Scientists from Eric Scerri
- Eric Scerri on IMDb
- Interview with editor of Nature Chemistry
- Public Lecture given at Concordia University, Montreal
- Public Lecture given at University of Kansas, Lawrence
- Mystery of Matter, 3-part Public Broadcast Television Series