General philosophy of science : focal issues / edited by Theo A.F. Kuipers.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Kuipers, Theo A. F., 1947-

Series:

Handbook of the philosophy of science

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--Philosophy.

Science.

Physical Description:

xxvi, 683 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm.

Place of Publication:

Amsterdam ; London : Elsevier/North Holland, 2007.

Summary:

An important task of general philosophy of science is the clarification of concepts like 'confirmation', of principles like 'the unity of science', and of demarcations like 'empirical laws' versus 'genuine theories'. This volume provides a comprehensive overview of the main general issues for clarification raised by the sciences. Authors attend to the historical development of the current debates and set the stage for future work.

Topics discussed: Units of empirical knowledge, perspectives on explanation, evaluation of theories, the role of experiments in the natural and social sciences, ontological, epistemological, and methodological positions, reduction and integration as views on the unity of science, logical, historical and computational approaches in the philosophy of science, the demarcation of science from nonscience, and the European-American roots of contemporary philosophy of science.

Key features: Comprehensive coverage of general philosophy of science, Written by leading philosophers in this field, Clear style of writing for an interdisciplinary audience, No specific pre-knowledge required, Extensive treatment of ten core issues, Representative for the common ground and for the different emphases in Europe and North-America.

Contents:

Introduction: Explication in Philosophy of Science / Theo Kuipers vii

Laws, Theories and Research Programmes / Theo Kuipers 1

Past and Contemporary Perspectives on Explanation / Stathis Psillos 97

Evaluation of Theories / Ilkka Niiniluoto 175

The Role of Experiments in the Natural Sciences: Examples from Physics and Biology / Allan Franklin 219

The Role of Experiments in the Social Sciences: The case of Economics / Wenceslao J. Gonzalez 275

Ontological, Epistemological, and Methodological Positions / James Ladyman 303

Reduction, Integration, and the Unity of Science: Natural, Behavioral, and Social Sciences and the Humanities / William Bechtel, Andrew Hamilton 377

Logical, Historical and Computational Approaches / Atocha Aliseda, Donald Gillies 431

Demarcating Science from Nonscience / Martin Mahner 515

History of the Philosophy of Science. From Wissenschaftslogik (Logic of Science) to Philosophy of Science: Europe and America, 1930-1960 / Friedrich Stadler 577.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780444515483

0444515488

OCLC:

123374590