Understand philosophy of science [electronic resource] / Mel Thompson.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Thompson, Mel.

Series:

Teach yourself books.

Teach yourself

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Science--Philosophy.

Science.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (222 p.)

Place of Publication:

London : Hodder Education, 2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Join the quest for truth. Understand what science means, how it came about, and why it matters.

Contents:

Cover; Book title; Contents; Meet the author; In one minute; 1 Introduction to the philosophy of science; Philosophers and scientists; The role of the philosophy of science; What this book examines; 2 The history of science; Early Greek thinkers; The medieval world-view; The rise of modern science; Nineteenth-century developments; Relativity and thermodynamics; The impact of quantum mechanics; Genetics; The digital revolution; 3 Reasoning and evidence; Observation and objectivity; Induction; A mathematical universe; Experiments; Hypothesis and confirmation; Abductive reasoning

What counts as science?4 Scientific theories and progress; Background; Falsification; Certainty or quest?; Paradigms and 'normal science'; Progress; The status of scientific theories; 5 Realism, language and reductionism; Reality and observation; Language; Reductionism and its implications; 6 Relativism, instrumentalism and relevance; Theory-laden observations; Instrumentalism; Relevance; Science and authority; 7 Predictability and determinism; Predictability and determinism; Probability; Chaos and complexity; 8 The philosophy of biology; Natural selection; Causes and purposes

The genetic basis of lifeSome implications of genetics; 9 Cosmology; Dimensions and structures; Towards a theory of everything; The human perspective; 10 Science and humankind; The human machine; Human origins and evolution; The status of social and psychological theories; Cognitive science and neuroscience; The social function of science; Postscript; Further reading; Glossary; A; C; D; E; F; H; I; L; M; N; O; P; R; S; T; U; W; Index; A; B; C; D; E; F; G; H; I; J; K; L; M; N; P; Q; R; S; T; V; W

Notes:

Includes index.

ISBN:

1-282-35281-4

9786613818676

1-4441-5766-3

OCLC:

818812213