Scientific Realism and the Rationality of Science

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1317058801
Total Pages : 174 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Scientific Realism and the Rationality of Science by : Howard Sankey

Download or read book Scientific Realism and the Rationality of Science written by Howard Sankey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-01 with total page 174 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientific realism is the position that the aim of science is to advance on truth and increase knowledge about observable and unobservable aspects of the mind-independent world which we inhabit. This book articulates and defends that position. In presenting a clear formulation and addressing the major arguments for scientific realism Sankey appeals to philosophers beyond the community of, typically Anglo-American, analytic philosophers of science to appreciate and understand the doctrine. The book emphasizes the epistemological aspects of scientific realism and contains an original solution to the problem of induction that rests on an appeal to the principle of uniformity of nature.

Resisting Scientific Realism

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1108415210
Total Pages : 237 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (84 download)

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Book Synopsis Resisting Scientific Realism by : K. Brad Wray

Download or read book Resisting Scientific Realism written by K. Brad Wray and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2018-11 with total page 237 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Provides a spirited defence of anti-realism in philosophy of science. Shows the historical evidence and logical challenges facing scientific realism.

The Rationality of Science

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134930976
Total Pages : 308 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (349 download)

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Book Synopsis The Rationality of Science by : W.H. Newton-Smith

Download or read book The Rationality of Science written by W.H. Newton-Smith and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2002-02-07 with total page 308 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Scientific Realism

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134619820
Total Pages : 360 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (346 download)

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Book Synopsis Scientific Realism by : Stathis Psillos

Download or read book Scientific Realism written by Stathis Psillos and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2005-08-02 with total page 360 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientific realism is the optimistic view that modern science is on the right track. This book argues that the history of science does not undermine this notion, suggesting it as the best philosophical account of science.

Critical Scientific Realism

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Publisher : OUP Oxford
ISBN 13 : 0191519405
Total Pages : 356 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (915 download)

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Book Synopsis Critical Scientific Realism by : Ilkka Niiniluoto

Download or read book Critical Scientific Realism written by Ilkka Niiniluoto and published by OUP Oxford. This book was released on 1999-12-09 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ilkka Niiniluoto comes to the rescue of scientific realism, showing that reports of its death have been greatly exaggerated. Philosophical realism holds that the aim of a particular discourse is to make true statements about its subject-matter. Niiniluoto surveys the different varieties of realism in ontology, semantics, epistemology, theory construction, and methodology. He then sets out his own original version, and defends it against competing theories in the philosophy of science. Niiniluoto's critical scientific realism is founded upon the notion of truth as correspondence between language and reality, and characterizes scientific progress in terms of increasing truthlikeness. This makes it possible not only to take seriously, but also to make precise, the troublesome idea that scientific theories typically are false but nevertheless close to the truth.

Philosophy and Scientific Realism

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1135028028
Total Pages : 171 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (35 download)

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Book Synopsis Philosophy and Scientific Realism by : J J C Smart

Download or read book Philosophy and Scientific Realism written by J J C Smart and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-04-04 with total page 171 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally published in 1963. In an introductory chapter the author argues that philosophy ought to be more than the art of clarifying thought and that it should concern itself with outlining a scientifically plausible world view. Early chapters deal with phenomenalism and the reality of theoretical entities, and with the relation between the physical and biological sciences. Free will, issues of time and space and man’s place in nature are covered in later chapters.

Recent Themes in the Philosophy of Science

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9401728623
Total Pages : 232 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (17 download)

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Book Synopsis Recent Themes in the Philosophy of Science by : S. Clarke

Download or read book Recent Themes in the Philosophy of Science written by S. Clarke and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2013-03-09 with total page 232 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Australia and New Zealand boast an active community of scholars working in the field of history, philosophy and social studies of science. Australasian Studies in History and Philosophy of Science aims to provide a distinctive publication outlet for their work. Each volume comprises a group of thematically-connected essays edited by scholars based in Australia or New Zealand with special expertise in that particular area. In each volume, a majority ofthe contributors are from Australia or New Zealand. Contributions from elsewhere are by no means ruled out, however, and are actively encouraged wherever appropriate to the balance of the volume in question. Earlier volumes in the series have been welcomed for significantly advancing the discussion of the topics they have dealt with. I believe that the present volume will be greeted equally enthusiastically by readers in many parts of the world. R. W. Home General Editor Australasian Studies in History And Philosophy of Science viii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The majority of the papers in this collection had their origin in the 2001 Australasian Association for History, Philosophy, and Social Studies of Science annual conference, held at the University of Melbourne, where streams of papers on the themes of scientific realism and commonsense were organised.

A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139468391
Total Pages : 235 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (394 download)

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Book Synopsis A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism by : Anjan Chakravartty

Download or read book A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism written by Anjan Chakravartty and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2007-10-18 with total page 235 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientific realism is the view that our best scientific theories give approximately true descriptions of both observable and unobservable aspects of a mind-independent world. Debates between realists and their critics are at the very heart of the philosophy of science. Anjan Chakravartty traces the contemporary evolution of realism by examining the most promising strategies adopted by its proponents in response to the forceful challenges of antirealist sceptics, resulting in a positive proposal for scientific realism today. He examines the core principles of the realist position, and sheds light on topics including the varieties of metaphysical commitment required, and the nature of the conflict between realism and its empiricist rivals. By illuminating the connections between realist interpretations of scientific knowledge and the metaphysical foundations supporting them, his book offers a compelling vision of how realism can provide an internally consistent and coherent account of scientific knowledge.

Contemporary Scientific Realism

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0197554636
Total Pages : 336 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (975 download)

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Book Synopsis Contemporary Scientific Realism by : Timothy D. Lyons

Download or read book Contemporary Scientific Realism written by Timothy D. Lyons and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Scientific realists claim we can justifiably believe that science is getting at the truth. However, they have faced historical challenges: various episodes across history appear to demonstrate that even strongly supported scientific theories can be overturned and left behind. In response, realists have developed new positions and arguments. As a result of specific challenges from the history of science, and realist responses, we find ourselves with an ever-increasing dataset bearing on the (possible) relationship between science and truth. The present volume introduces new historical cases impacting the debate and advances the discussion of cases that have only very recently been introduced. At the same time, shifts in philosophical positions affect the very kind of case study that is relevant. Thus, the historical work must proceed hand in hand with philosophical analysis of the different positions and arguments in play. It is with this in mind that the volume is divided into two sections, entitled "Historical Cases for the Debate" and "Contemporary Scientific Realism." All sides agree that historical cases are informative with regard to how, or whether, science connects with truth. Defying proclamations as early as the 1980s announcing the death knell of the scientific realism debate, here is that rare thing: a philosophical debate making steady and definite progress. Moreover, the progress it is making concerns one of humanity's most profound and important questions: the relationship between science and truth, or, put more boldly, the epistemic relation between humankind and the reality in which we find ourselves.

Rational Changes in Science

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9400937792
Total Pages : 234 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Rational Changes in Science by : Joseph C. Pitt

Download or read book Rational Changes in Science written by Joseph C. Pitt and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 234 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: THE PROBLEMS OF SCIENTIFIC RATIONALITY Fashion is a fickle mistress. Only yesterday scientific rationality enjoyed considerable attention, consideration, and even reverence among phi losophers; "but today's fashion leads us to despise it, and the matron, rejected and abandoned as Hecuba, complains; modo maxima rerum, tot generis natisque potens - nunc trahor exui, inops", to cite Kant for our purpose, who cited Ovid for his. Like every fashion, ours also has its paradoxical aspects, as John Watkins correctly reminds in an essay in this volume. Enthusiasm for science was high among philosophers when significant scientific results were mostly a promise, it declined when that promise became an undeniable reality. Nevertheless, as with the decline of any fashion, even the revolt against scientific rationality has some reasonable grounds. If the taste of the philosophical community has changed so much, it is not due to an incident or a whim. This volume is not about the history of and reasons for this change. Instead, it provides a view of the new emerging image of scientific rationality in both its philosophical and historical aspects. In particular, the aim of the contributions gathered here is to focus on the concept around which the discussions about rationality have mostly taken place: scientific change.

Realism, Rationalism and Scientific Method: Volume 1

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521316422
Total Pages : 372 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (164 download)

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Book Synopsis Realism, Rationalism and Scientific Method: Volume 1 by : Paul K. Feyerabend

Download or read book Realism, Rationalism and Scientific Method: Volume 1 written by Paul K. Feyerabend and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1981 with total page 372 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over the past thirty years Paul Feyerabend has developed an extremely distinctive and influentical approach to problems in the philosophy of science. The most important and seminal of his published essays are collected here in two volumes, with new introductions to provide an overview and historical perspective on the discussions of each part. Volume 1 presents papers on the interpretation of scientific theories, together with papers applying the views developed to particular problems in philosophy and physics. The essays in volume 2 examine the origin and history of an abstract rationalism, as well as its consequences for the philosophy of science and methods of scientific research. Professor Feyerabend argues with great force and imagination for a comprehensive and opportunistic pluralism. In doing so he draws on extensive knowledge of scientific history and practice, and he is alert always to the wider philosophical, practical and political implications of conflicting views. These two volumes fully display the variety of his ideas, and confirm the originality and significance of his work.

Science and the Theory of Rationality

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis Science and the Theory of Rationality by : John N. Wright

Download or read book Science and the Theory of Rationality written by John N. Wright and published by . This book was released on 1991 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It is widely accepted that scientific theories should be simple, have inductive support and high empirical content, while other theories should be accurate and have high explanatory power. This book argues that these features can all be reduced to a single feature - the independence of theory from data. It also argues that theories possessing this feature are more likely to be true than those that don't.

Rationality, Relativism and Incommensurability

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 042977611X
Total Pages : 210 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (297 download)

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Book Synopsis Rationality, Relativism and Incommensurability by : Howard Sankey

Download or read book Rationality, Relativism and Incommensurability written by Howard Sankey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2018-12-24 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: First published in 1997, this volume brings together a series of essays on the philosophy of science and responds to the "crisis of rationality" which evolved from the denial of both a stable methodology and a common language for science. Howard Sankey holds that important insights about scientific methodology and rationality may be gleaned from the historical approach, from which the existence of profound conceptual change in science, as well as the absence of a neutral observation language, are important findings. Half of Sankey’s essays concentrate specifically on the thesis that alternative scientific theories are incommensurable due to semantic differences between the vocabulary in which they are expressed. Several others seek to derive a new way of thinking about scientific rationality from the historical critique of the idea of a fixed scientific method. Still others demonstrate how some seemingly relativistic themes of the historical approach may be embraced in a non-relativistic manner within the context of a pluralistic and naturalistic theory of scientific methodology and rationality.

Progress and Rationality in Science

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 940099866X
Total Pages : 424 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Progress and Rationality in Science by : G. Radnitzky

Download or read book Progress and Rationality in Science written by G. Radnitzky and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 424 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays has evolved through the co-operative efforts, which began in the fall of 1974, of the participants in a workshop sponsored by the Fritz Thyssen Foundation. The idea of holding one or more small colloquia devoted to the topics of rational choice in science and scientific progress originated in a conversation in the summer of 1973 between one of the editors (GR) and the late Imre Lakatos. Unfortunately Lakatos himself was never able to see this project through, but his thought-provoking methodology of scientific research programmes was ably expounded and defended by his successors. Indeed, this volume continues and deepens the debate inaugurated in Criticism and the Growth of Knowledge (edited by Imre Lakatos and Alan Musgrave), a book which grew out of a conference held in 1965. That debate has continued during the years that have passed since that conference. The group of discussions about the place of rationality in science which have been held between those who emphasize the history of science (with Feyerabend and Kuhn as the most prominent exponents) and the critical rationalists (Popper and his followers), with Imre Lakatos defending a middle ground, these discussions were seen by almost all commentators as the most important event in the philosophy of science in the last decade. This problem area constituted the central theme of our Thyssen workshop. The workshop operated in the following manner.

A Realistic Theory of Science

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Publisher : SUNY Press
ISBN 13 : 9780887063152
Total Pages : 494 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (631 download)

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Book Synopsis A Realistic Theory of Science by : Clifford Alan Hooker

Download or read book A Realistic Theory of Science written by Clifford Alan Hooker and published by SUNY Press. This book was released on 1987-01-01 with total page 494 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book presents a clear and critical view of the orthodox logical empiricist tradition, pointing the way to significant developments for the understanding of science both as research and as culture. It summarizes the present confused and highly polarized status of the orthodox philosophy of science. It exhibits clearly the fundamental metaphysical and global presuppositions and confusions that have led to this status. It provides a positive point of view from which progress can be made toward understanding science as research done by real scientists rather than science as exemplifying some prior epistemological program created by philosophers. And it leads directly to an understanding of science as a dynamic force within our society with consequences for the environment and public policy.

The Instrument of Science

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 0429663579
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (296 download)

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Book Synopsis The Instrument of Science by : Darrell P. Rowbottom

Download or read book The Instrument of Science written by Darrell P. Rowbottom and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2019-03-25 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Roughly, instrumentalism is the view that science is primarily, and should primarily be, an instrument for furthering our practical ends. It has fallen out of favour because historically influential variants of the view, such as logical positivism, suffered from serious defects. In this book, however, Darrell P. Rowbottom develops a new form of instrumentalism, which is more sophisticated and resilient than its predecessors. This position—‘cognitive instrumentalism’—involves three core theses. First, science makes theoretical progress primarily when it furnishes us with more predictive power or understanding concerning observable things. Second, scientific discourse concerning unobservable things should only be taken literally in so far as it involves observable properties or analogies with observable things. Third, scientific claims about unobservable things are probably neither approximately true nor liable to change in such a way as to increase in truthlikeness. There are examples from science throughout the book, and Rowbottom demonstrates at length how cognitive instrumentalism fits with the development of late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century chemistry and physics, and especially atomic theory. Drawing upon this history, Rowbottom also argues that there is a kind of understanding, empirical understanding, which we can achieve without having true, or even approximately true, representations of unobservable things. In closing the book, he sets forth his view on how the distinction between the observable and unobservable may be drawn, and compares cognitive instrumentalism with key contemporary alternatives such as structural realism, constructive empiricism, and semirealism. Overall, this book offers a strong defence of instrumentalism that will be of interest to scholars and students working on the debate about realism in philosophy of science.

Karl Popper's Philosophy of Science

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Publisher : Routledge
ISBN 13 : 1134182953
Total Pages : 154 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (341 download)

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Book Synopsis Karl Popper's Philosophy of Science by : Stefano Gattei

Download or read book Karl Popper's Philosophy of Science written by Stefano Gattei and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-10-16 with total page 154 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rectifying misrepresentations of Popperian thought with a historical approach to Popper’s philosophy, Gattei reconstructs the logic of Popper’s development to show how one problem and its tentative solution led to a new problem.