From thermodynamics to philosophical tradition: Pierre Duhem’s research between 1891 and 1896

Abstract

In the few years 1891–1896, the young theoretical physicist Pierre Duhem set out his generalised mechanics or “Energetics”, a bold design consisting of a unified mathematical framework for physics and chemistry based on the two principles of thermodynamics. He broadened the scope of analytical mechanics, and built up a mathematical theory that spanned from purely mechanical processes to every kind of irreversible transformation, chemical explosions included. He found that at the end of the nineteenth century science was able to describe the complexity of the actual natural world. This theoretical design led Duhem to rediscover and reinterpret the tradition of Aristotle’s natural philosophy and Pascal’s epistemology. His Energetics could encompass modern science and ancient natural philosophy in a wide and consistent theory. Endowed with a philosophical and historical sensitivity, Duhem went on with clarifying the foundations of science and its history.