On principles in Sadi Carnot's thermodynamics (1824). Epistemological reflections (Q2866440)

The theoretical foundation of this paper relies ``on the possibility of studying the history of science by means of logical investigation'' (p. 129). The author is convinced that scientific systems can be classified into two types: ``Axiomatically Organized theories (AO-theories)'' that are determined by ``a few self-evident principles (or axioms)'' from which ``the whole theory is derived, as well as theories, which are (\dots) Problematically Organized (PO-theories)'' (p. 134), the latter containing ``principles that only indicate a direction for the development of the theory'' (p. 135). AO-theories are usually ``developed by means of advanced mathematics'' (p. 134), whereas PO-theories use in general ``less advanced mathematics'' (p. 135). According to the author's view, theories of the first kind are based on classical logic, theories of the second kind use, mainly intuitively, some forms of nonclassical logic.NEWLINENEWLINE In particular, they derive many important results in the form ``not not \(A\)'', which ``cannot be turned to equivalent positive sentences because the operative tools for proving them do not exist'' (p. 135). As an example of a case-study, the author analyses Sadi Carnot's ``Réflexions sur la puissance motrice du feu'', in which he finds more than 60 double negated statements, among those the main ``five methodological principles'' (rather than formal axioms) that characterize Carnot's construction of thermodynamics.