The History and Philosophy of Science An Indian Perspective

This book provides an in-depth analysis of the history and evolution of the major disciplines of science, which include the basic sciences, bioscience, natural sciences and medical science, with special emphasis on the Indian perspective. While academic interest shown in the history and philosophy of science dates back to several centuries, serious scholarship on how the sciences and the society interact and influence each other can only be dated back to the twentieth century. This volume explores the ethical and moral issues related to social values, along with the controversies that arise in relation to the discourse of science from the philosophical perspectives. The book sheds light on themes that have proved to have a significant and overwhelming influence on present-day civilisation. It takes the reader through a journey, on how the sciences have developed and have been discussed, to explore key themes like the colonial influences on science; how key scientific ideas have developed from Aristotle to Newton; history of ancient Indian mathematics; agency, representation, deviance with regard to the human body in science; bioethics; mental health, psychology and the sciences; setting up of the first teaching departments for subjects such as medicine, ecology and physiology in India; recent research in chemical technology; and even the legacy of ancient Indian scientific discoveries. A part of the Contemporary Issues in Social Science Research series, this interdisciplinary work will be of immense interest to scholars and researchers of philosophy, modern history, sociology of medicine, physical sciences, bioscience, chemistry and medical sciences. It will be of interest to the general reader also.

Introduction Nandan Bhattacharya Part I: History of Science 1. History of Science: A brief overview Samir K. Saha 2. Science, Society and Governance in Colonial India Deepak Kumar 3. Evolution of Ideas from Aristotle to Newton: A Journey Towards the Unification of the Earth and the Heavens Bichitra Kumar Guha 4. History of Ancient Indian Mathematics Manjusha Majumdar (Tarafdar) 5. Surgery in Ancient India and Sus´ruta-Samhita¯ Sudipa Bandyopadhyay 6. Dr M. J. Bramley (1803 – 1837): The First Principal of Calcutta Medical College Sankar Kumar Nath Part II: Philosophy of Science 7. The Philosophy of Science- A Brief Understanding Pradip Kumar Ghosh 8. Written on the Body: Agency, Representation, Deviance Samantak Das 9. A Rationale of Aryabhata I's method for solving ax+c=by Pradip Kumar Majumdar 10. Death Instinct in Psychoanalysis Santanu Biswas Part III: Emerging Issues in Bio-Medical Sciences and Health Care 11. Origin of Life on Earth Bijan Das 12. Unraveling the fascinating world of RNA interference Akash Mallick and Deepika Pamarthy 13. Role of additives and nutrient supplementation for enhancement of Somatic Embryogenesis in Momordica Charantia L. Subhasree Das, Anwesh Roy, Sarmistha Sen Raychaudhuri 14. Application of cognitive ergonomics in communication: A social perspective Somnath Gangopadhyay 15. Evolutionary trend of ecological concepts, hypothesis and theories: Perspectives on biodiversity Sushanta Kumar Chakraborty

Nandan Bhattacharya is currently Assistant Director of UGC-Human Resource Development Centre, Jadavpur University. Dr Bhattacharya received his MSc (Zoology) in 1992 and PhD (Zoology) degree in 2004 from Vidyasagar University. He has so far published several articles in reputed journals and delivered lectures in different national and international colleges and universities. He has experience in coordinating and designing the course curriculum of orientation programmes, workshops and short-term courses especially meant for college and university teachers/librarians under the UGC guideline. He is interested in ecology, education, communication skill development, science and art connection, theatre in education, forum theatre, etc. as research fields. Dr Bhattacharya is also an acclaimed stage actor and director.