Modern Science and Materialism (Classic Reprint) - Hardcover

Hugh Elliot

9780267630974: Modern Science and Materialism (Classic Reprint)

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0267630972 ISBN 13: 9780267630974

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

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In Modern Science and Materialism, Hugh Elliot argues that life operates under the same physical laws as matter in motion.

The book surveys a long debate about whether living beings are controlled by purely physico-chemical processes or by some non-material “vital force.” It traces how science moved from supernatural explanations to mechanism, and why the idea of a guiding spirit is rejected by modern physics and biology.

Two short sections frame the issue: first, a look at how materialist science has explained energy, matter, and the nervous system; and second, a critical examination of vitalism and spiritualist ideas. The author shows how energy balance, conservation laws, and atomic interactions undercut the notion of a non-material life force, while clarifying what a true mechanism would require.

Understand the shift from spiritual explanations to mechanistic science in physiology and biology.
See why the concept of a vital force clashes with energy and matter conservation.
Learn how nervous system activity fits a physico-chemical view of mind and behavior.
Explore why beliefs about the soul and spirit are treated as metaphysical ideas, not scientific facts.

Ideally suited for readers of science philosophy and the history of ideas, this edition offers a clear, evidence-based look at how modern science frames life and mind.

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