Philosophy Of Science: A Very Short Introduction

Description

Provides an overview of the main themes of contemporary philosophy of science. Beginning with a short history of science, this book goes on to investigate the nature of scientific reasoning, scientific explanation, revolutions in science, and theories, such as realism and anti-realism. It also looks at philosophical issues in particular sciences.

Reviews

"Very helpful.... Okasha presents the issues and arguments with delightful clarity."--Philosophia Christi

Table of contents

1. What is science?; A very short history of science; Does science have an essential nature?; Science and pseudo-science; 2. Scientific reasoning; Induction and deduction; Hume's problem; Two types of inductive reasoning; Probability and induction; 3. Explanation in science; The 'covering-law' model of explanation; Alternative models of explanation; Can science explain everything?; 4. Realism and anti-realism about science; Scientific realism; Objections to scientific realism; Varieties of anti-realism; 5. Scientific change and scientific revolutions; Explaining scientific change; Thomas Kuhn on 'normal' and 'revolutionary' science; Sociological accounts of scientific change; 6. Philosophical problems in physics, biology and linguistics; Leibniz versus Newton on absolute space; The problem of biological classification; Is knowledge of language innate; 7. Science and its critics; Is science a good thing?; Science and religion; The science wars