Saturday 13 June 2009

Quantification: A History of the Meaning of Measurement in the Natural and Social Sciences

This is a book that you can find on Questia (HERE), it was edited by Harry Woolf and is the proceedings of a conference held in 1959. This volume appeared in 1961.

There are some great articles, including one by the famous philosopher and historian of science Thomas Kuhn (he of 'Paradigm Shift' fame), also there is a great article by Wilks, which describes the role that individual measurements play in large systems of measurement and as inputs to quantitative models.

As Wilks puts it; "The subject of quantification in science is an enormous one with many as­
pects. The foundation of quantification is measurement, and any discussion
of the nature of quantification must necessarily begin with a discussion of
the nature of measurement."

Enjoy