Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction

by Rosenberg; Alex

• ISBN13: 9780415891776
• ISBN10: 0415891779
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-07-12
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Any serious student attempting to better understand the nature, methods and justification of science will value Alex Rosenberg#xE2;#xAC;"s updated and substantially revised Third Editionof Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction. Weaving together lucid explanations and clear analyses, the volume is as a much-used, thematically oriented introduction to the field. New features of the Third Editioninclude more coverage of the history of the philosophy of science, more fully developed material on the metaphysics of causal and physical necessity, more background on the contrast between empiricism and rationalism in science, and new material on the structure of theoretical science (with expanded coverage of Newtonian and Darwinian theories and models) and the realism/antirealism controversy. Rosenberg also divides the Third Editioninto fourteen chapters, aligning each chapter with a week in a standard semester-long course. Updated Discussion Questions, Glossary, Bibliography and Suggested Readings lists at the end of each chapter will make the Third Editionindispensable, either as a comprehensive stand-alone text or alongside the many wide-ranging collections of articles and book excerpts currently available. Key Features: #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; The third edition of a popular book in the Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy Series, this text offers comprehensive coverage of one of the fastest-growing fields in contemporary philosophy. #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; The previous edition (2005) was called "the industry standard" and "essential reading" in a 2010 review from Teaching Philosophyof all single-authored textbooks in the field #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; The author, winner of the prestigious Lakatos Award given by the London School of Economics, is a widely known and respected philosopher of science and of social science #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Lucid and logically structured, guiding the reader through the many complex facets of a difficult subject #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Comprehensive Suggested Reading sections at the end of each chapter tie the book directly to important papers and leading anthologies of previously published material (e.g., Martin Curd and J.A. Cover#xE2;#xAC;"s Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues, Marc Lange#xE2;#xAC;"s Philosophy of Science: An Anthology, and Yuri Balashov and Alex Rosnberg#xE2;#xAC;"s Philosophy of Science: Contemporary Readings). Changes and Updates in the Third Edition: #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; The entire text is now presented in 14 chapters, making it suitable to read one chapter per week in a semester-long course at most North American universities #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; While the book#xE2;#xAC;"s structure remains thematic rather than historical, the first two chapters now provide a brief history of philosophy to show how the problems of philosophy of science are modern versions of problems that have haunted philosophy since its inception #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Now ties the positivism and post-positivism of the 20th and 21st centuries to Kant, Hume, Leibniz, Locke and Descartes #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Introduces the metaphysics of physical necessity and nature of laws #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Develops more fully explanations of several scientific theories, in particular Newtonian Mechanics and Darwinian Evolutionary Theory #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Locates Newtonian mechanics and Darwinian evolution in their intellectual and cultural contexts #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Includes expanded discussion of the nature of theories, scientific realism and antirealism #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Offers expanded discussion of models, including examples from biology and social science #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Offers expanded discussion of constructivist approaches and the "Sokal Hoax" along with their impact on the humanities and sciences #xE2;#xAC;#xA2; Provides a thoroughly updated Bibliography, Suggested Readings and Glossary.