How does science work? Does it tell us what the world is "really"
like? What makes it different from other ways of understanding the
universe? In Theory and Reality, Peter Godfrey-Smith addresses these
questions by taking the reader on a grand tour of one hundred years of
debate about science. The result is a completely accessible
introduction to the main themes of the philosophy of science. Intended
for undergraduates and general readers with no prior background in
philosophy, Theory and Reality covers logical positivism; the problems
of induction and confirmation; Karl Popper's theory of science; Thomas
Kuhn and "scientific revolutions"; the views of Imre Lakatos, Larry
Laudan, and Paul Feyerabend; and challenges to the field from
sociology of science, feminism, and science studies. The book then
looks in more detail at some specific problems and theories, including
scientific realism, the theory-ladeness of observation, scientific
explanation, and Bayesianism. Finally, Godfrey-Smith defends a form of
philosophical naturalism as the best way to solve the main problems in
the field. Throughout the text he points out connections between
philosophical debates and wider discussions about science in recent
decades, such as the infamous "science wars." Examples and asides
engage the beginning student; a glossary of terms explains key
concepts; and suggestions for further reading are included at the end
of each chapter. However, this is a textbook that doesn't feel like a
textbook because it captures the historical drama of changes in how
science has been conceived over the last one hundred years. Like no
other text in this field, Theory and Reality combines a survey of
recent history of the philosophy of science with current key debates
in language that any beginning scholar or critical reader can follow.
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9780226300610
Publisert
2018
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
University of Chicago Press
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter