Richard E. Lee 
Questioning Nineteenth-Century Assumptions about Knowledge, I 
Determinism

During the last few decades, the fundamental premises of the modern view of knowledge have been increasingly called into question. Questioning Nineteenth-Century Assumptions about Knowledge I: Determinism provides an in-depth look at the debates surrounding the status of ‚determinism‘ in the sciences, social sciences, and the humanities in detailed and wide-ranging discussions among experts from across the disciplines. A concern for the future, and how to approach it, is evident throughout. Indeed, the sense that there exists a reciprocal relationship between the structures of knowledge and human systems, including ecosystems, suggests that thinking about the possible rather than the necessary, may be a more winning strategy for our times. Weaving together in-depth articles and invigorating follow up discussions, this volume showcases debates over the status and validity of determinism. Of special interest are the impact of determinism on the perception and writing about the past; the relationship between chance and necessity in philosophy and grand opera; and the affect of determinism in mathematical modeling and economics.

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Participants

Illustrations



Foreword


Immanuel Wallerstein



Introduction


Richard E. Lee




S E S S I O N I



Freedom and Determinism in the Twenty-First Century: Prolegomena to the Rewriting of History


Steve Fuller



Discussion




S E S S I O N I I



Mobile Order: Between Chance and Necessity


Fernando Gil



Discussion




S E S S I O N I I I



Determinism and Mathematical Modeling


Ivar Ekeland



Discussion




S E S S I O N I V



Organizers’ Opening Remarks


Immanuel Wallerstein



Jean-Pierre Dupuy: Does Determinism Entail Necessitarianism?



Discussion



Index

Über den Autor

Richard E. Lee is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Fernand Braudel Center at Binghamton University, State University of New York. He is the author of
Life and Times of Cultural Studies: The Politics and Transformation of the Structures of Knowledge and the coeditor (with Immanuel Wallerstein) of
Overcoming the Two Cultures: Science versus the Humanities in the Modern World-System.