Science, Explanation, and Rationality Aspects of the Philosophy of Carl G. Hempel

by Fetzer, James H.

• ISBN13: 9780195121377
• ISBN10: 0195121376
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2000-12-07
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Carl G. Hempel exerted greater influence upon philosophers of science than any other figure during the 20th century. In this far-reaching collection, distinguished philosophers contribute valuable studies that illuminate and clarify the central problems to which Hempel was devoted. The essays enhance our understanding of the development of logical empiricism as the major intellectual influence for scientifically-oriented philosophers and philosophically-minded scientists of the 20th century.

Table of Contents

Contributors	xi
Editor's Introduction	xv
Prologue: An Intellectual Autobiography	3	(36)
Carl G. Hempel
Part I: Scientific Reasoning
Hempel and the Vienna Circle	39	(26)
Michael Friedman
Hempel's Logicist Philosophy of Mathematics: Background and Sequel	65	(12)
Jaakko Hintikka
Part II: Probability and Induction
Probable Inference versus Probable Conclusions	77	(14)
Henry E. Kyburg, Jr.
Hempel on the Problem of Induction	91	(20)
Risto Hilpinen
Part III: Covering-Law Models
The Paradoxes of Hempelian Explanation	111	(27)
James H. Fetzer
Hempel's Theory of Statistical Explanation	138	(29)
Ilkka Niiniluoto
Part IV: Theories and Predictions
The Symmetry Thesis	167	(19)
Peter Achinstein
Hempel and the Problem of Provisos	186	(31)
Frederick Suppe
Part V: Explanations of Behavior
Explanation in History	217	(26)
William H. Dray
Reasonable People	243	(24)
Philip Kitcher
Part VI: Scientific Rationality
Analytic and Synthetic Understanding	267	(20)
Paul W. Humphreys
The Objectivity and the Rationality of Science	287	(22)
Robert Nozick
Epilogue: The Spirit of Logical Empiricism: Carl G. Hempel's Role in Twentieth-Century Philosophy of Science	309	(16)
Wesley C. Salmon
A Bibliography of Carl G. Hempel	325	(8)
Index of Names	333	(4)
Index of Subjects	337