Symmetry Discovered: Concepts and Applications in Nature and Science by Joe Rosen (review)

Books 71 Theauthor has studied in a number of casesthe role of themata in the creative work of distinguished men of science who have sometimesbeen stimulated but in other instances badly inhibited in their imagination by them. Among the stimulating themata onecan includethe desiretofind a way of introducingmore unity in concepts about the universe. This trend has been one of the aspects of the so-called reductionism in science. On the other hand, the will to maintain determinism as a general principle has in some instances played a limiting role: even Albert Einstein, having established the quantum theory of the photoelectric effect, did not willingly follow the consequences of quantum mechanics as far as to admit fundamental indeterminism in nature as formulated by Werner Heisenberg. Another division of attitudes of scientists has been characterized by the author’s designations of ‘Dyonysians’ and ‘Apollonians ’. The first, essentially those belonging to the school of Ernst Mach, remain attached to the old sensafionalismand are rather systematically suspicious about the use of intuitive thought as a guide for the development of theoretical concepts. The second believe, on the contrary, that a somewhat free imagination is necessary in order to overcome some of the obstacles that classical themata may have introduced. As the author clearly shows, the working scientist cannot, strictly speaking,followeither of these trends but must be ready to admit the role in discovery of strictly rational thinking and be firmly guided by experimental realities. One of the casestudies deals with Einstein and takes its subject matter from a book by Ronald Clarke. Clarke insists that Einstein had dual personality traits, leading to internal contradictions in his dramatic life: opposition between positivism, when the young Einstein was a follower of Mach’s thinking, and somekind of Platonism, when Einstein later relied essentiallyon free rational thought. A contradiction also existed in his lifelong pacifism and his behavior at the start of World War I1 when he signed the well-known letter addressed to President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the necessity for the U.S.A. to start work on the applications of nuclear energy. Another case study chosen by Holton concerns the dispute between Felix Ehrenhaft and Robert A. Millikan on the amount of the electriccharge of theelectron. Analyzing in much detail the various aspects of the work of each of the two physicists, the author seizesmany opportunities to point out the importance of such problemsas the choice between numerous measurements of the same physical quantity, which can lead to biased selection. This single chapter provides an excellent lesson for young scientists. The story about the Enrico Fermi groupand the ‘Renaissance’ of Italian physics in the 1930s shows the importance of the presence of a great mind during favorable social conditions. The interrelationships between the minds and actions of scientists and scientific trends and personal and social circumstances give Holton an excellent opportunity for a brilliant study of this important subject. In each of the case studies the author makes use of a wealth of documents, letters and interviews. The result is a powerful mixture of insights obtained by means of historical and psychological methods. It is quite interesting to note that Holton devotes a full chapter to the differences between analytic and syntheticmethodsof thought and of research and to the necessity for using both in order to obtain a harmonious and valuable result. One could perhaps consider the historical method as analytic and the psychological as synthetic. In any event, this very interesting and pleasantly written book should also be read by artists in order for them to obtain an idea of the way contemporary scientists carry out their work. Concept Formation. Neil Bolton. Pergamon Press, New York, 1977. 163pp. Paper, $6.50. Reviewed by Joseph Germann* The followingstatements by Bolton give one an idea of the style and substance of the monograph: *Dept. of Psychology, College of Arts and Sciences, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24061. U.S.A. ‘I. Concepts are the expression of the ways in which experience has become organized.... Even the simplest concept is never just an observation, something merely registered by perception, for every concept presupposes a certain form of organization arising from the...