What science knows : and how it knows it / James Franklin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Franklin, James, 1953-

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--Philosophy.

Science.

Physical Description:

v, 283 pages : illustrations (some color), color maps ; 24 cm

Edition:

First American edition.

Place of Publication:

New York : Encounter Books, 2009.

Summary:

In What Science Knows, the Australian philosopher and mathematician James Franklin explains in captivating and straightforward prose how science works its magic. Franklin describes some colorful examples of discoveries in the natural, mathematical, and social sciences and the reasons for believing them. He examines the limits of what science knows, giving special attention both to mysteries that may be solved by science, and those that may in principle be beyond the reach of science.

Contents:

Chapter 1 Evidence 5

Chapter 2 Enemies of Science: Early 25

Chapter 3 Enemies of Science: Postmodernist 41

Chapter 4 The Furniture 53

Chapter 5 The Physical Sciences 75

Chapter 6 Biology and Cognition 91

Chapter 7 Mathematics 107

Chapter 8 Enemies of Mathematics 135

Chapter 9 The Formal Sciences 145

Chapter 10 Probabilities and Risks 161

Chapter 11 Are the Social Sciences Sciences? 181

Chapter 12 Actually Existing Science 197

Chapter 13 The Complexity Obstacle to Knowledge 215

Chapter 14 Is That All There Is? 237.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9781594032073

1594032076

OCLC:

312727920