![]() The author spends a great deal of time distinguishing between apparatuses (related conceptually to the world) and instruments (related causally to the world) and trying to establish the role that living organisms fill in both of those settings. Pavlov’s dogs and Schrödinger’s cat is about the way animals have been utilized in the laboratory, whether that lab is on earth, in space, or just in an open field. He is a past president of the British Society for the Philosophy of Science and honorary president of the International Society for the Philosophy of Chemistry. He began his career in mathematics and moved into science, and both disciplines receive attention in this book. Harré is an emeritus fellow of Philosophy of Linacre College, Oxford, and adjunct professor of Philosophy at Georgetown University, Washington, DC. Nonetheless, a nice selection of historical examples is presented in light and readable prose. Other readers may find other favorites missing. ![]() McConnell in the 1950s and 1960s on learning and memory transfer in flatworms - perhaps omitted due to the reported difficulty in reproducing the original work. However, some “classics” are missing, such as the work of American biologist James V. Descriptions of other classic studies are included, involving countless and unnamed voles, fruit flies, and fish. Ivan Pavlov’s famous dogs, which taught us about the gastric system, are also mentioned. Harré also discusses Laika, the Russian space dog, who - as a precursor to humans in space flight - became the first living mammal launched into orbit in 1957. Harlow studied the psychological development of young rhesus monkeys exposed to “mothers” made of terry cloth or wire the findings of these studies provided great insight into the importance of affection, security, attachment, and emotional support in childhood development. For example, Harré reminds us of the controversial primate work in the 1960s of American psychologist Harry F. Like that book, Pavlov’s dogs and Schrödinger’s cat: scenes from the living laboratory takes the reader on a sentimental journey through the history of the use of animals and plants in scientific research. I enjoyed Rom Harré’s earlier effort, Great scientific experiments: twenty experiments that changed our view of the world (1) over 25 years ago.
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