The Ambiguous Frog

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Exploring the Galvani-Volta controversy, this book delves into how scientific ideas gain acceptance within the community. It examines the contrasting interpretations of muscle contractions observed in frogs by Luigi Galvani and Alessandro Volta, highlighting Galvani's belief in animal electricity versus Volta's view of physical electricity. The author, Marcello Pera, analyzes the political, rhetorical, and metaphysical contexts that influenced their debate, suggesting that Volta's eventual preference stemmed from his alignment with contemporary metaphysical views rather than strict methodological criteria.