Philosophy of science Books
Oxford University Press Reflecting on Nature
Book SynopsisSpanning centuries of philosophical and environmental thought, Reflecting on Nature: Readings in Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, Second Edition, will inform and enlighten your students while also encouraging debate.Extensively revised and updated for the second edition, this comprehensive collection presents fifty classic and contemporary readings, thirty-three of them new. The second edition retains the core readings and insights of the first edition while also updating its coverage in light of the many changes that have occurred over the last twenty years in the intellectual climate and in patterns of environmental concern. The selections are topically organized into sections on animals, biodiversity, ethics, images of nature, wilderness, and--new to this edition--aesthetics, climate change, food, and justice. This thematic organization, in combination with coverage of current environmental issues, encourages students to apply what they learn in class to real-life problems.Featuring insightful section introductions, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading, Reflecting on Nature, Second Edition, is ideal for use in environmental philosophy, environmental ethics, and environmental studies courses.Table of Contents*=NEW TO THIS EDITION; SECTION I. IMAGES OF NATURE; SECTION II. ETHICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT; SECTION III. JUSTICE AND THE ENVIRONMENT; SECTION IV. ANIMALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT; SECTION V. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES; FOOD; WILDERNESS; BIODIVERSITY; CLIMATE CHANGE; AESTHETICS
£86.44
Oxford University Press Seeing Dark Things
Book SynopsisIf a spinning disk casts a round shadow does this shadow also spin? When you experience the total blackness of a cave, are you seeing in the dark? Or are you merely failing to see anything (just like your blind companion)? Seeing Dark Things uses visual riddles to explore our ability to see things that do not reflect light. Shadows and holes are anomalies for the causal theory of perception, which states that anything we see must be a cause of what we see. This requirement neatly explains why you see the front of a book''s jacket and not its rear when you look at it face-on. However, the causal theory has trouble explaining how you manage to see the black letters on its surface. The letters are made visible by the light they fail to reflect rather than by the light they reflect. Nevertheless, Roy Sorensen defends the causal theory of perception by treating absences as causes. His fourteen chapters draw heavily on common sense and psychology to vindicate the assumption that we perceive Trade ReviewSorensen's book provokes thoughts about the nature and significance of seeing. His Eclipse Riddle is intriguing, as are the general questions he raises about seeing dark things. There are no easy answers to these questions. I enjoyed reading Sorensen's book, and thinking about the issues it raises. Others will too. * Richard Price, Mind *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ; Introduction ; 1. The Eclipse Riddle ; 2. Seeing Surfaces ; 3. The Disappearing Act ; 4. Spinning Shadows ; 5. Berkeley's Shadow ; 6. Para-reflections ; 7. Para-reflections: Shadowgrams and the Black Drop ; 8. Goethe's Colored Shadows ; 9. Filtows ; 10. Holes in the Light ; 11. Black and Blue ; 12. Seeing in Black and White ; 13. We See in the Dark ; 14. Hearing Silence ; References ; Index
£37.99
Oxford University Press Doing without Concepts
Book SynopsisOver recent years, the psychology of concepts has been rejuvenated by new work on prototypes, inventive ideas on causal cognition, the development of neo-empiricist theories of concepts, and the inputs of the budding neuropsychology of concepts. But our empirical knowledge about concepts has yet to be organized in a coherent framework.In Doing without Concepts, Edouard Machery argues that the dominant psychological theories of concepts fail to provide such a framework and that drastic conceptual changes are required to make sense of the research on concepts in psychology and neuropsychology. Machery shows that the class of concepts divides into several distinct kinds that have little in common with one another and that for this very reason, it is a mistake to attempt to encompass all known phenomena within a single theory of concepts. In brief, concepts are not a natural kind. Machery concludes that the theoretical notion of concept should be eliminated from the theoretical apparatus oTrade ReviewEven if one is not convinced by Machery's idea that concepts are not natural kinds, and that'concept' needs to be eliminated from the vocabulary of psychology, Doing without Concepts might still be taken as convincingly showing that in their search for the properties common to most or all concepts, psychologists have been looking in the wrong place. * André J. Abath, The Psychological Quarterly Vol 62 No 244 July 2011 *Table of ContentsList of Figures ; List of Tables ; Preface ; Acknowledgments ; Permissions ; Chapter 1. Concepts in Psychology ; 1. "Concept" in Psychology ; 2. Evidence for the Existence of Concepts ; 3. What is a Psychological Theory of Concepts? ; 4. Alternative Characterizations of the Notion of Concept ; Chapter 2. Concepts in Philosophy ; 1. "Concept" in Philosophy ; 2. Concepts in Philosophy versus Concepts in Psychology ; 3. How are the Psychological and the Philosophical Theories of Concepts Connected? Peacocke's Simple Account ; 4. How are the Psychological and the Philosophical Theories of Concepts Connected? The Foundationalist Account ; Chapter 3. The Heterogeneity Hypothesis ; 1. The Received View ; 2. The Heterogeneity Hypothesis ; 3. Hybrid Theories of Concepts ; Chapter 4. Three Fundamental Kinds of Concepts: Prototypes, Exemplars, Theories ; 1. The Classical Theory of concepts ; 2. The Prototype Paradigm of Concepts ; 3. The Exemplar Paradigm of Concepts ; 4. The Theory Paradigm of Concepts ; 5. Alternative Views of Concepts ; 6. Three Theoretical Entities that Have Little in Common ; Chapter 5. Multi-Process Theories ; 1. Multi-Process Theories ; 2. Examples of Multi-Process Theories ; Chapter 6. Categorization and Concept Learning ; 1. Categorization and Concept Learning ; 2. Studying Categorization and Concept Learning ; 3. Evidence for the Existence of Prototypes ; 4. Evidence for the Existence of Exemplars ; 5. Evidence for the Existence of Theories ; 6. Organization of the Categorization Processes and of the Concept Learning Processes ; Chapter 7. Induction, Concept Combination, Neuropsychology ; 1. Induction ; 2. Concept Combination ; 3. Neuropsychology ; Chapter 8. Concept Eliminativism ; 1. Two Inconclusive Arguments against the Notion of Concept ; 2. Natural Kinds and Scientific Eliminativism ; 3. The Argument for the Elimination of "Concept" ; 4. Objections and Replies ; Conclusion ; References ; Index of Names ; Index of Subjects
£38.47
Oxford University Press Scientists as Prophets
Book SynopsisWhy did an atheist like Carl Sagan talk so much about God? Why does NASA climatologist James Hansen plead with us in his recent book not to waste Our Last Chance to Save Humanity? Because science advisors are our new prophets, Lynda Walsh argues in Scientists as Prophets: A Rhetorical Genealogy. She does not claim, as some scholars have, that these public scientists push scientism as a replacement for religion. Rather, she puts forth the provocative argument that prophetic ethos is a flexible type of charismatic authority whose function is to manufacture certainty. Scientists aren''t our only prophets, Walsh contents, but science advisors predictably perform prophetic ethos whenever they need to persuade their publics to take action or fund basic research. Walsh first charts the genealogy of this hybrid scientific-prophetic ethos back to its roots in ancient oracles before exploring its flourishing in 17th century Europe. She then tracks its performances and mutations through several iTrade ReviewOn contentious issues like climate change and the teaching of evolution in schools, public officials seek out scientific advisers for guidance, oftentimes pulling scientists into the spotlight away from their comfort zones. Some win widespread acclaim for their efforts to shape public policy, while others are denounced as subverters of traditional values. In Scientists as Prophets, Lynda Walsh shows that across history-Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Rachel Carson, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Steven Jay Gould, Carl Sagan-scientists who venture into public policy arenas are immersed in the discourse of prophecy. In this ambitious and insightful book, Walsh raises our appreciation of prophecy as a pragmatic and rational genre for experts doing their best to interpret the unknowable. * Davida Charney, Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, The University of Texas at Austin *Walsh shows that the prophetic function of the science adviser is as old as science itself, not a contemporary add-on. She uses an ingenious adaptation of Kenneth Burke's Pentad to trace its history and to show how the prophetic ethos has shaped contemporary controversies over nuclear security, pesticides, and global warming. The work is deeply informed, engagingly written, and convincingly argued; it enriches our understanding of the rhetoric of science and of the relations between science and the polity. * Carolyn R. Miller, SAS Institute Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Technical Communication, North Carolina State University *This book is interesting, nuanced and stimulating. * Jaume Navarro, British Journal for the History of Science *Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1-Prelude: Scientists as Prophets and the Rhetoric of Prophecy ; Chapter 2-The Delphic Oracle and Ancient Prophetic Ethos ; Chapter 3-The Natural Magician and the Prophet: Francis Bacon's Ethical Alchemy ; Chapter 4-Confirming Signs: The Prophetic Ethos of the Early Royal Society ; Chapter 5-Interlude: Competing Ethical Models and a Catch-22 ; Chapter 6-J. Robert Oppenheimer: Cultic prophet ; Chapter 7-Rachel Carson, Kairotic Prophet ; Chapter 8-Media, Metaphor, and the <"Oracles of Science>" ; Chapter 9-Climate Change and the Technologies of Prophecy ; Chapter 10-Postlude: Problems and Solutions ; Appendix: Key Reception and Constitution Sources ; Notes ; Selected Bibliography
£42.27
Oxford University Press Naturalism and the FirstPerson Perspective
Book SynopsisScience and its philosophical companion, Naturalism, represent reality in wholly nonpersonal terms. How, if at all, can a nonpersonal scheme accommodate the first-person perspective that we all enjoy? In this volume, Lynne Rudder Baker explores that question by considering both reductive and eliminative approaches to the first-person perspective. After finding both approaches wanting, she mounts an original constructive argument to show that a nonCartesian first-person perspective belongs in the basic inventory of what exists. That is, the world that contains us persons is irreducibly personal.After arguing for the irreducibilty and ineliminability of the first-person perspective, Baker develops a theory of this perspective. The first-person perspective has two stages, rudimentary and robust. Human infants and nonhuman animals with consciousness and intentionality have rudimentary first-person perspectives. In learning a language, a person acquires a robust first-person perspective: thTrade ReviewHer [Baker's] book is characteristically thought provoking and provides us with a distinctive and, in many ways, attractive account of reality and our place in it. * Stephen Kearns, Oxford Journals Clippings: Analysis *Bakers book is a fine defence of a view worth taking seriously. It is a delight to read and is peppered with interesting arguments throughout. Just as David Chalmers enjoined us two decades ago to take phenomenal consciousness seriously, Baker wisely advises us to face up to the problem of self-consciousness. * Jacob Berger, Mind *As shown by Lynne Baker in her profound new book, scientific naturalism comes in different versions, depending on how its advocates respond to some crucial open issues...Baker sets a series of ambitious goals for her book. * Philosophical Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: What is the Problem? ; The Claim of Naturalism ; A Challenge to Naturalism ; What is at Stake ; An Overview ; Part I: The Core Argument ; Ch. 1. Varieties of Naturalism ; What Counts As 'Science'? ; Reductive Naturalism ; Nonreductive Naturalism ; Disenchantment and Optimism ; Ch. 2. On Naturalizing the First-Person Perspective ; What is Naturalization? ; The Robust First-Person Perspective ; The Rudimentary First-Person Perspective ; Ch. 3. Reductive Approaches to the First-Person Perspective ; John Perry on an Epistemic Account of the Self ; David Lewis on De Se Belief ; A Comment on John Searle ; Can Cognitive Science Save the Day? ; Ch. 4. Eliminative Approaches to the First-Person Perspective ; Daniel Dennett on Consciousness ; Thomas Metzinger on a Self-Model Theory ; My Recommendation ; Ch. 5. Arguments Against First-Person Naturalization ; From First-Person Concepts to First-Person Properties ; A Linguistic Argument: A Complete Ontology Must Include First-Person Properties ; A Metaphysical Argument Against Ontological Naturalism ; Part II: An Account of the First-Person Perspective ; Ch. 6. From the Rudimentary to the Robust Stage of the First-Person Perspective ; The First-Person Perspective: Consciousness and Self-Consciousness ; Language and the Acquisition of Concepts ; How to Acquire a Self-Concept ; Human Persons: Wrap Up ; Ch. 7. Is the Idea of the First-Person Perspective Coherent? ; Personal Identity: A First-Personal Approach ; Objections and Replies ; Mark Johnston on the Self as Illusory ; Johnston's Critique Side-Stepped ; Ch. 8. A Metaphysical Framework for The First-Person Perspective ; First-Person Properties ; Dispositional Properties ; Haecceitistic Implications ; Ch. 9. Agents, Artifacts, Moral Responsibility: Some Contributions of the First-person Perspective ; Personhood ; Agency ; Artifacts ; Moral Responsibility ; Ch. 10. Natural Reality ; Near-Naturalism ; Property-Constitution and Causation ; Emergentism and Downward Causation ; How Naturalistic is Near-Naturalism? ; Index
£34.67
Oxford University Press Inc Evidence and Method
Book SynopsisWhat is meant by scientific evidence, and how can a definition of this concept be applied in the sciences to determine whether observed facts constitute evidence that a given theory is true?In this book, Peter Achinstein proposes and defends several objective concepts of evidence. He then explores the question of whether a scientific method, such as that represented in the four Rules for the Study of Natural Philosophy that Isaac Newton invoked in proving his law of gravity, can be employed in demonstrating how the proposed definitions of evidence are to be applied to real scientific cases. In answering this question, he offers a new interpretation of Newton''s controversial rules. Contrary to what many methodologists assume, whether the rules, so interpreted, can be used to determine whether observed phenomena provide evidence for a theory is an empirical question, not an a priori one. Finally, in order to deal with numerous cases in which evidence is insufficient to establish a theorTrade Review[T]he renowned philosopher of science Peter Achinstein focuses on the question whether observed phenomena constitute evidence that a theory is true. ...The book is clearly written, aims at a general audience and provides valuable insights into the works of these two icons of modern science. Thus, it is warmly recommended for the readers of Science & Education. * Science & Education *a significant contribution to what philosophers of science can learn from the methodologies of Newton and Maxwell. * William L. Harper, Metascience *Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1: A Problem about Evidence ; Chapter 2: Newton's Rules ; Chapter 3: Newtonian Extensions, a Rival, Justifying Induction, and Evidence ; Chapter 4: What to Do If You Cannot Establish a Theory: Maxwell's Three Methods
£36.09
Oxford University Press Inc The Divine Order the Human Order and the Order of Nature
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£92.15
Oxford University Press Inc Flight from Wonder
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£41.79
Penguin Random House LLC Psychiatry in the Scientific Image Philosophical Psychopathology
£38.78
Penguin Random House LLC Lab Coats in Hollywood Science Scientists and Cinema The MIT Press
£26.60
MIT Press Ltd Beyond Versus
£47.53
Penguin Random House LLC Making Parents The Ontological Choreography of Reproductive Technologies
£38.78
Yale University Press The Problem of Knowledge
£37.11
Springer The Story of Physics
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£102.61
Springer Medical Ethics for PhysiciansInTraining
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Springer Foundations of Neuroscience
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Springer Foundations of Neuroscience
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Springer Phenomenological Inquiry in Psychology
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Springer Einstein Podolsky and Rosen Paradox in Atomic Nuclear and Particle Physics And Population Analysis
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Springer Studies on the structure of time From Physics to Psychopathology
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Springer The Physicists View of Nature Part 1 From Newton to Einstein
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Springer Abduction Reason and Science Processes of Discovery and Explanation
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Springer Technology Science Teaching and Literacy
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Springer Place of Science in a World of Values and Facts
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Springer ModelBased Reasoning Science Technology Values
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£85.49
Random House USA Inc Billions Billions
Book Synopsis
£17.00
Little, Brown Book Group The End Of Science
Book SynopsisAs a writer for SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN, John Horgan has an unsurpassed window on contemporary science, routinely interviewing the scientific geniuses of our times, scientists such as Richard Dawkins, Murray Gell-Mann, Stephen Hawking, Karl Popper and Noam Chomsky. In THE END OF SCIENCE, Horgan displays his genius for getting these larger-than-life figures to be human, whilst also encouraging them to confront the very limits of knowledge. Have the big questions all been answered? Has all the knowledge worth pursuing become known? Will there be a final ''theory of everything'' that signals the end? Horgan extracts surprisingly candid answers to these and other delicate questions as he discusses God, Star Trek, superstrings, quarks, consciousness and numerous other topics. In a time where scientific rationality is under fire from every quarter, THE END OF SCIENCE is a witty, thoughtful, profound and entertaining narrative which serves as both a critique of and a homage to modern science.Trade ReviewA fine example of popular science writing. Accessible, argumentative, stimulating, informative, highly polished and hugely enjoyable ... this is a feast of a book * TES *I wish I could write like John Horgan ... [he] has a novelist's eye for character revealing detail, and we can almost see, as well as hear these scientists engaging in their passionate arguments. * NEW SCIENTIST *Horgan covers a stunning set of thinkers, with whom he discusses a remarkable range of scientific ideas * FINANCIAL TIMES *A hugely entertaining book, certain to create controversy. * E.O Wilson *
£22.52
Random House Publishing Group The Value of Science
Book SynopsisMore than any other writer of the twentieth century, Henri Poincaré brought the elegant, but often complicated, ideas about science and mathematics to the general reader. A genius who throughout his life solved complex mathematical calculations in his head, and a writer gifted with an inimitable style, Poincaré rose to the challenge of interpreting the philosophy of science to scientists and nonscientists alike. His lucid and welcoming prose made him the Carl Sagan of his time. This volume collects his three most important books: Science and Hypothesis (1903); The Value of Science (1905); and Science and Method (1908).
£20.90
Springer Demonstrational Optics
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Springer Tales of Mathematicians and Physicists
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Springer Mathematics A Concise History and Philosophy
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Springer Between Rationalism and Empiricism Selected Papers in the Philosophy of Physics
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Taylor & Francis Ltd Critiques of Knowing Situated Textualities in Science Computing and The Arts
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iUniverse Transcendental Physics Integrating the Search for Truth
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Author Solutions Inc Everything You Know Is Wrong Book 1
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iUniverse Man Medicine and Space A Manifesto for the Millennium
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iUniverse Journey Into the New Cosmology A Scientific and Mystical Exploration
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iUniverse The Theory of Primes
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iUniverse The Mechanism Demands a Mysticism An Exploration of Spirit Matter and Physics
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iUniverse The scientists Conversations with the Teacher Science and Esoterics
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iUniverse How Alien Would Aliens Be
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iUniverse Tautological Oxymorons Deconstructing Scientific MaterialismAn Ontotheological Approach
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iUniverse Intellectual Jazz
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iUniverse Putting Soul into Science
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iUniverse Intellectual Jazz II
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iUniverse The Scientific Case Against Scientific Creationism
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iUniverse LifeConscious An Alternative Theory to Evolution and Creationism
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iUniverse The Ten Assumptions of Science Toward a New Scientific Worldview
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