Summary: | Thought experiments are performed in the "laboratory" of the mind. Beyond this metaphor, it is difficult to define just what these remarkable devices for investigating nature are, or how they work. Although most scientists and philosophers recognize the importance of thought experiments, The Laboratory of the Mind is the only full-length study of their nature and function. Beginning with Galileo's argument on falling bodies, James Robert Brown describes numerous examples of the most influential thought experiments from the history of science. He provides a thorough introduction to the subject.
|