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"A History of Scientific Journals" is a comprehensive account of the Royal Society of London's Philosophical Transactions from 1665 to its 350th anniversary in 2015. The book explores the development of the Transactions from a speculative commercial venture to the official publication of one of the world's oldest and most influential learned societies. It covers the evolution of scientific publishing, including the introduction of peer review and the growth of specialized journals. The book provides a nuanced and well-researched perspective on the history of science publishing and is recommended for scholars, scientists, students, and policymakers in science-related fields. [Extracted from the article]

In the book "Radical by Nature: The Revolutionary Life of Alfred Russel Wallace," author James T. Costa provides a comprehensive and detailed portrait of Alfred Russel Wallace, a prominent figure in the history of evolutionary thought. Costa draws from newly available notebooks, manuscripts, and the Wallace Correspondence Project to present an updated story of Wallace's life and times. The book highlights Wallace's extensive travels, his contributions to biogeography, and his formulation of the theory of evolution by natural selection. It also explores Wallace's political beliefs, spiritualism, and controversial stances on issues such as eugenics and vaccination. Overall, Costa's biography sheds new light on Wallace's life and his significant contributions to natural history and science. [Extracted from the article]

This article by Adam Tamas Tuboly discusses the publication of Otto Neurath's complete works, which cover his writings from 1903 to 1946. Neurath was a philosopher and a key figure in logical empiricism. The article highlights the efforts of Neurath's colleagues and friends to preserve his philosophy and publish his works. The expanded edition of Neurath's works offers a comprehensive collection of his writings, providing a deeper understanding of his ideas. The article emphasizes the relevance of Neurath's philosophy today, particularly in economics, education, and visual education. However, it notes that the volumes lack substantive editorial introductions and notes, which could have provided more context for readers. Overall, the publication of Neurath's complete works is seen as a significant achievement and an essential resource for researchers interested in Neurath and the Vienna Circle. [Extracted from the article]

The Mystery of the Majorana affair: Erasmo Recami: The Majorana case: letters, documents, testimonies. I can add the remark that - independently from Recami and his book - one can read much speculation on the subject of Majorana's disappearance in other works, but as they are not accompanied by clear and unquestionable evidence, they risk remaining conjectures and/or alleged assumptions. At the end of 1927, Majorana, with approval from Segrè and Amaldi, moved from Engineering to Physics and, from the beginning of 1928 he attended the Physics faculty. [Extracted from the article]

Michael D. Gordin's book, "Pseudoscience: A Very Short Introduction," provides an overview of the concept of pseudoscience. Gordin explores the paradoxical nature of pseudoscience, acknowledging that it is both not a real thing and yet also real. He discusses the difficulty of defining pseudoscience and proposes a historical approach to understanding fringe doctrines. Gordin introduces four categories of pseudoscience: vestigial sciences, hyperpoliticized sciences, counterestablishment sciences, and theories based on claims of unusual powers of the mind. He emphasizes the diversity of pseudoscience and the challenges of demarcation. While the book lacks a well-structured definition of pseudoscience and a detailed analysis of pseudoscientificity, it serves as an introduction to the topic for students and the general public. [Extracted from the article]

Roman Frigg's book, "Models and Theories: A Philosophical Inquiry," explores the relationship between theories and models in science. Frigg provides a comprehensive overview of the topic, discussing the Linguistic View of Theories and the Received View, as well as the Model-Theoretical View. He examines the role of models in representing scientific phenomena and addresses questions about the semantics of theoretical terms. Frigg argues that a dual view, incorporating both linguistic and non-linguistic elements, is necessary for a comprehensive understanding of scientific theories. The book also delves into controversies surrounding scientific representation and the autonomy of models from theories. Overall, Frigg's work offers a valuable contribution to the field of philosophy of science. [Extracted from the article]

Catherine M. Jackson's book, "Practical Organic Chemistry: Molecular World: Making Modern Chemistry," explores the evolution of organic chemistry from the 1820s to the late nineteenth century. Jackson argues that organic chemistry was built on practice rather than theory, and she examines the relationship between experiment and theory. The book focuses on the work of three German chemists, Justus Liebig, Wilhelm Hofmann, and Albert Ladenburg, and their contributions to the field. Jackson also discusses the development of laboratory techniques and glassware, as well as the advancements in chemical synthesis. The book provides valuable insights into the history of organic chemistry and is recommended for historians and chemists. [Extracted from the article]

"Philosophical Methodology: From Data to Theory" is a book by John Bengson, Terence Cuneo, and Russ Shafer-Landau that explores the methodology of philosophy. The authors introduce the Tri-Level Method, which advocates for philosophers to collect data, substantiate and integrate their claims, and highlight the virtues of their theories. The book fills a gap in the literature and provides a clear and accessible introduction to the practice of philosophy. While the authors make compelling arguments, there are potential criticisms from philosophers of science regarding their views on data. Overall, "Philosophical Methodology" is a valuable resource for those interested in understanding the foundations of philosophical inquiry. [Extracted from the article]

One is, unsurprisingly, the relationship between science and religion, and whether Galileo's trial illustrates their incompatibility. However, if this is taken literally as suggesting that Galileo was executed, then no sane person believes it; and if interpreted to mean that Galileo was a fighter for freedom of thought, then it is essentially true; thus, neither interpretation yields a myth since (by my understanding, according to a common definition) a myth must be both essentially false and widely believed. Regarding the history of science as such, Franco Giudice examines Newton's critique of Galileo's cosmogonic hypothesis attributed to Plato. [Extracted from the article]

Nevertheless, this Cold War regime continuously ran into challenges and contradictions. The nuclear secrecy regime in the USA has survived the end of the Cold War, however, and persists in the twenty-first century, continuing to undergo metamorphosis in a new political and social context (Chapter 9). (5) In other words, Alex Wellerstein shows that for more than 80 years the advocates of nuclear secrecy in the USA have been constantly renewing both the conceptual and methodological strategies for controlling information about nuclear weapons in the context of a dilemma between their ideal and reality. [Extracted from the article]

The view provides an alternative to Devitt's conception of VoC with a distinctive justification for linguistic intuitions as monitoring mechanisms caused and determined by a speaker's mental grammar. The opening chapters center around the idea that linguistic intuitions track an internal "voice of competence" (VoC), a term introduced by Devitt to clarify positions regarding the etiology that he takes to be adopted, explicitly or implicitly, by generative linguists. Using a survey of generative linguists, Brøcker observes that while there is general acceptance that 'intuitions are reliable because of their connection to competence' and that 'noise from performance errors aside, intuitions give an infallible window on grammar' (83), the linguists surveyed did not support the idea that informational content is provided by linguistic competence. [Extracted from the article]

Monopolizing contraception: Jessica Borge: Protective practices: A history of the London Rubber Company and the condom business. By 1949, London Rubber had become the core supplier of diaphragms and condoms to the FPA (95). Long associations with illicit sex and disease had always been a problem for condom producers and it was hoped that by aligning itself with the FPA, London Rubber could rehabilitate the image of the condom. [Extracted from the article]

Part II, Whom to Trust B , b opens with a nice juxtaposition of interesting chapters on self-trust (Chapter 18) and interpersonal trust (Chapter 19). The opening three chapters provide broader foundational discussions about the nature of trust, trustworthiness (Chapter 2), and distrust (Chapter 3). Two related chapters follow: Miller and Freiman's "Trust and Distributed Labor" (Chapter 26) and Rolin's "Trust in Science" (Chapter 27), which I both thoroughly enjoyed. [Extracted from the article]

The hazards of chemical processes and the context-sensitivity of the behaviors of most chemicals could help to refine the concept of unintended consequences and potentially the ethics of care. Test-tube ethics: Joachim Schummer and Tom Børsen (eds): Ethics of chemistry. While consequentialism can be seen as a subset of utilitarianism and principlism as a subset of deontology, virtue ethics and environmental ethics do not really fit into this binary typology. [Extracted from the article]