Understanding Philosophy of Science

by Ladyman; James

• ISBN13: 9780415221573
• ISBN10: 0415221579
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2001-12-29
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Without scientific theory, the technology developments of recent years would not have been possible. In this exceptionally clear and engaging introduction to philosophy of science, James Ladyman explores the scope of natural science and its implications for human life. With the focus firmly upon realism, he discusses how fundamental philosophical questions can be answered by science and how scientific theory can confirm and inform our basic and intrinsic knowledge.

Author Biography

James Ladyman is lecturer in philosophy at the University of Bristol.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xi
Acknowledgements	p. xiii
Introduction	p. 1
Philosophy of science as epistemology and metaphysics	p. 5
The Scientific Method
Induction and Inductivism	p. 11
The sceptic's challenge	p. 11
The scientific revolution	p. 14
The 'new tool' of induction	p. 18
(Naive) inductivism	p. 27
Further reading	p. 30
The Problem of Induction and Other Problems with Inductivism	p. 31
The problem of induction	p. 32
Solutions and dissolutions of the problem of induction	p. 40
Inductivism and the history of science	p. 52
Theory and observation	p. 56
Conclusions	p. 58
Further reading	p. 61
Falsificationism	p. 62
Popper and the critique of Marxism and psychoanalysis	p. 64
Popper's solution to the problem of induction	p. 69
The context of discovery and the context of justification	p. 74
The Duhem problem	p. 77
Problems with falsificationism	p. 81
Conclusions	p. 89
Further reading	p. 91
Revolutions and Rationality	p. 93
The received view of science	p. 94
Kuhn's revolutionary history of science	p. 96
Paradigms and normal science	p. 98
The Copernican revolution	p. 105
Theory and observation	p. 109
Incommensurability	p. 115
Relativism and the role of reason in science	p. 118
Further reading	p. 123
Realism and Antirealism About Science
Scientific Realism	p. 129
Appearance and reality	p. 131
The metaphysics of the external world	p. 138
Semantics	p. 146
Standard scientific realism	p. 158
Antirealism	p. 159
Further reading	p. 160
Underdetermination	p. 162
Underdetermination	p. 162
Constructive empiricism	p. 185
Further reading	p. 194
Explanation and Inference	p. 196
Explanation	p. 198
Inference to the best explanation	p. 209
Common sense, realism and constructive empiricism	p. 225
Further reading	p. 228
Realism About What?	p. 230
Theory change	p. 230
Multiple models	p. 252
Idealisation	p. 257
Structural realism	p. 260
Further reading	p. 262
Glossary	p. 264
Bibliography	p. 270
Index	p. 276
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