My friend Alex at University of California Press gave me a review copy of the book Thing Knowledge: A Philosophy of Scientific Instruments by Davis Baird. Sounds heavy, but on first glance it seems that Baird has balanced deep philosophy with fun machine history! The illustrations and vintage photographs are a treat too. I’m looking forward to digging into it. From Peter Galison’s blurb on the back:
“Grappling with a wonderful assortment of objects–from antique orreries to modern spectrographs–Davis Baird draws the reader deep into fascinating questions about the nature of knowledge. As lucid on the semantic account of theories as it is on the inner workings of the cyclotron, this book that brings the laboratory to philosophers and philosophy into the laboratory.”
Warning: At $65, it’s a pricey book, probably due to a limited print run. Link
Update: BB reader Nate has a good point: “If you think it will be too pricy for individuals to purchase, you should encourage people to ask their libraries to purchase it. More sales for U. Cal. Press, far more potential readers.”