Introduction to the Philosophy of Science

A reprint of the Prentice-Hall edition of 1992.

Prepared by nine distinguished philosophers and historians of science, this thoughtful reader represents a cooperative effort to provide an introduction to the philosophy of science focused on cultivating an understanding of both the workings of science and its historical and social context. Selections range from discussions of topics in general methodology to a sampling of foundational problems in various physical, biological, behavioral, and social sciences. Each chapter contains a list of suggested readings and study questions.

Reviews:

“The overall standard of the volume is extraordinarily high, and I have no doubt that this will be the text in philosophy of science for a couple of decades. The coverage is remarkable both in breadth and depth. . . . an amazingly good book. . . . written by an all-star team. . . . “
     —Philip Kitcher, Columbia University

Contents:

Introduction.

Part one: General topics in the philosophy of science
1. Scientific Explanation
2. The Confirmation of Scientific Hypotheses
3. Realism and the Nature of Theories
4. Scientific Change: Perspectives and Proposals

Part two: Philosophy of the physical sciences
5. Philosophy of Space and Time
6. Determinism in the Physical Sciences

Part three: Philosophy of biology and medicine
7. Philosophy of Biology
8. Philosophy of Medicine

Part four: Philosophy of behavioral and social sciences
9. Philosophy of Psychology
10. Android Epistemology: Computation, Artificial Intelligence, and the Philosophy of Science
11. Philosophy of the Social Sciences

Bibliography. Index.