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25How Mendeleev issued his predictions: comment on Andrea WoodyFoundations of Chemistry 22 (2): 197-215. 2020.Much has been said about the accuracy of the famous predictions of the Russian chemist Dmitrii Ivanovich Mendeleev, but far less has been written on how he made his predictions. Here we offer an explanation on how Mendeleev used his periodic system to predict both physical and chemical properties of little-known and entirely unknown chemical elements. We argue that there seems to be compelling evidence in favour of Mendeleev genuinely relying on his periodic system in the course of issuing his p…Read more
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15Values and periodicity: Mendeleev's reception of the equations of Mills, Chicherin, and VincentCentaurus 61 (4): 405-423. 2019.This article focuses on the Russian chemist Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev's assessment of certain representations of various aspects of the periodic system that employed more mathematical methodology. The equations of interest were created by E. J. Mills, B. N. Chicherin, and J. H. Vincent. The English chemist Mills tried to find a firmer numerical basis for the periodicity of the elements. The Russian lawyer and political philosopher Chicherin was convinced of the existence of a mathematical law u…Read more
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14Values in climate modelling: testing the practical applicability of the Moral Imagination idealEuropean Journal for Philosophy of Science 12 (4): 1-18. 2022.There is much debate on how social values should influence scientific research. However, the question of practical applicability of philosophers’ normative proposals has received less attention. Here, we test the attainability of Matthew J. Brown’s (2020) Moral Imagination ideal (MI ideal), which aims to help scientists to make warranted value-judgements through reflecting on goals, options, values, and stakeholders of research. Here, the tools of the MI ideal are applied to a climate modelling …Read more
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9On Compatibility between Presentism and Anti-Presentism in History of ScienceJournal of the Philosophy of History 17 (2): 310-327. 2023.Presentism – the influence of the present on historians’ work – has been met with resistance among historians of science; many hold that excessive reference to the present can compromise the aim of understanding past practices in their own terms. In response to this concern, a number of authors have argued that not only is such influence inevitable, it can also be legitimate and helpful. In probing into the presentist and anti-presentist positions in histories of science, I argue here that there…Read more
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7The Value of Completeness: How Mendeleev Used His Periodic System to Make PredictionsPhilosophy of Science 86 (5): 1318-1329. 2019.Dmitrii Mendeleev’s periodic system is known for its predictive accuracy, but talk of its completeness is rarer. This is surprising because completeness was a quality that Mendeleev saw as important for a systematization of the chemical elements. Here, I explain how Mendeleev’s valuing of completeness influenced the development of his periodic system. After introducing five indicators of its completeness, I zoom into one in particular: Mendeleev’s inclusion of a schematic row of oxides. I then s…Read more
Karoliina Pulkkinen
KTH Royal Institute of Technology
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KTH Royal Institute of TechnologyPost-doctoral Fellow
Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden
Areas of Specialization
Value Theory |
Philosophy of Science, General Works |
Philosophy of Science, Miscellaneous |