Philosophy of science Books

Book SynopsisFeaturing a figure of early modern science, this text explores Robert Boyle's philosophy of experiment, a central aspect of his life and work. Philosophical, legal, experimental and religious traditions that played a part in shaping Boyle's experimental thought and practice are examined.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"That life is connected to death, and to evolution, is incontrovertible. But what might be the connection between death and evolution? That is, might death be an adaptation? That’s the startling conclusion reached by Durand in this brief volume, which combines philosophy, biological theory, and empirical science in often thrilling ways... Durand thinks big thoughts but is careful, in his prose, to involve readers whose interest in theoretical biology exceeds their grasp. A very important book. Highly recommended." * Choice Connect *"[The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death] constitutes an impressive effort to integrate into a unified and coherent framework different and dispersed pieces of empirical work about how life and death emerged on Earth, and about how these two phenomena coevolved to become deeply entangled." * History and Philosophy of Life Sciences *“An eye opener for many readers, biologists, and others interested in visiting the frontiers of today’s conceptual thinking on evolution. This book, compact and simple but densely packed with information and ideas, presents the new edifice of evolutionary biology, a vibrant, progressing field that goes far beyond the confines of neo-Darwinism.” -- Eugene V. Koonin, National Center for Biotechnology Information, from the foreword“There is no question that Durand is deeply learned. The way that he lays out his argument linking life and death is certainly innovative and I am sure will attract attention. Insightful and stimulating, The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death will forward discussion on important issues.” -- Michael Ruse, Florida State UniversityTable of ContentsForeword (by Eugene V. Koonin) Preface List of abbreviations An introduction to the scientific study of life and deathPart One: The origin of life 1 Philosophical considerations and the origin of life 2 The biotic world 3 The theory of life’s origins 4 Life at the very beginning I: the chemistry of the first biomolecules 5 Life at the very beginning II: the emergence of complex RNA molecules 6 The origin of life was an evolutionary transition in individuality 7 A synthesis for the origin of lifePart Two: The origin of death 8 Philosophical considerations and the origin of death 9 Observations of death 10 Mechanisms and measures of programmed cell death in the unicellular world 11 True PCD: when PCD is an adaptation 12 Ersatz PCD: the non-adaptive explanations for PCD 13 Programmed cell death and the levels of selection 14 A synthesis for the origin of programmed cell deathPart Three: Origins of life and death, and their coevolution 15 Group selection and the origins of life and death 16 Life and death coevolution, and the emergence of complexity Postface Additional notes Reference list Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"That life is connected to death, and to evolution, is incontrovertible. But what might be the connection between death and evolution? That is, might death be an adaptation? That’s the startling conclusion reached by Durand in this brief volume, which combines philosophy, biological theory, and empirical science in often thrilling ways... Durand thinks big thoughts but is careful, in his prose, to involve readers whose interest in theoretical biology exceeds their grasp. A very important book. Highly recommended." * Choice Connect *"[The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death] constitutes an impressive effort to integrate into a unified and coherent framework different and dispersed pieces of empirical work about how life and death emerged on Earth, and about how these two phenomena coevolved to become deeply entangled." * History and Philosophy of Life Sciences *“An eye opener for many readers, biologists, and others interested in visiting the frontiers of today’s conceptual thinking on evolution. This book, compact and simple but densely packed with information and ideas, presents the new edifice of evolutionary biology, a vibrant, progressing field that goes far beyond the confines of neo-Darwinism.” -- Eugene V. Koonin, National Center for Biotechnology Information, from the foreword“There is no question that Durand is deeply learned. The way that he lays out his argument linking life and death is certainly innovative and I am sure will attract attention. Insightful and stimulating, The Evolutionary Origins of Life and Death will forward discussion on important issues.” -- Michael Ruse, Florida State UniversityTable of ContentsForeword (by Eugene V. Koonin) Preface List of abbreviations An introduction to the scientific study of life and deathPart One: The origin of life 1 Philosophical considerations and the origin of life 2 The biotic world 3 The theory of life’s origins 4 Life at the very beginning I: the chemistry of the first biomolecules 5 Life at the very beginning II: the emergence of complex RNA molecules 6 The origin of life was an evolutionary transition in individuality 7 A synthesis for the origin of lifePart Two: The origin of death 8 Philosophical considerations and the origin of death 9 Observations of death 10 Mechanisms and measures of programmed cell death in the unicellular world 11 True PCD: when PCD is an adaptation 12 Ersatz PCD: the non-adaptive explanations for PCD 13 Programmed cell death and the levels of selection 14 A synthesis for the origin of programmed cell deathPart Three: Origins of life and death, and their coevolution 15 Group selection and the origins of life and death 16 Life and death coevolution, and the emergence of complexity Postface Additional notes Reference list Index

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Book SynopsisPresents a philosophical and historical account of the engagement of the major protagonists of Victorian British philosophy. This title considers the controversies between William Whewell and John Stuart Mill on the topics of science, morality, politics, and economics. It is suitable for philosophers and historians of science.

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Book SynopsisAn exploration of the statistical foundations of scientific inference, The Nature of Scientific Evidence asks what constitutes scientific evidence and whether scientific evidence can be quantified statistically. Mark Taper, Subhash Lele, and an esteemed group of contributors explore the relationships among hypotheses, models, data, and inference on which scientific progress rests in an attempt to develop a new quantitative framework for evidence. Informed by interdisciplinary discussions among scientists, philosophers, and statisticians, they propose a new evidential approach, which may be more in keeping with the scientific method. The Nature of Scientific Evidence persuasively argues that all scientists should care more about the fine points of statistical philosophy because therein lies the connection between theory and data. Though the book uses ecology as an exemplary science, the interdisciplinary evaluation of the use of statistics in empirical research will be of interest to

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Book SynopsisA much-needed exploration of the history and philosophy of scientific research into male homosexuality. Questions about the naturalness or unnaturalness of homosexuality are as old as the hills, and the answers have often been used to condemn homosexuals, their behaviors, and their relationships. In the past two centuries, a number of sciences have involved themselves in this debate, introducing new vocabularies, theories, arguments, and data, many of which have gradually helped tip the balance toward tolerance and even acceptance. In this book, philosophers Pieter R. Adriaens and Andreas De Block explore the history and philosophy of the gay sciences, revealing how individual and societal values have colored how we think about homosexuality. The authors unpack the entanglement of facts and values in studies of male homosexuality across the natural and human sciences and consider the extent to which science has mitigated or reinforced homonegative mores. The focus of the book is Trade Review“Prejudice against those who identify as LGBT is ongoing in our culture. This makes the magnificently comprehensive and thoughtful Of Maybugs and Men: A History and Philosophy of the Sciences of Homosexuality a work of pressing contemporary relevance. Covering a wide range of topics, from the questions of homosexuality in animals and of evolutionary perspectives on homosexuality, to the philosophical and social implications of judging any kind of sexuality as healthy or otherwise, indeed of even asking such questions, it is essential reading: for researchers, for those making and enforcing social policy, and more widely for all who think we should strive to understand the nature of ourselves, human beings. A very important book.” -- Michael Ruse, author of Atheism: What Everyone Needs to Know"Against a long backdrop of simplistic discussions of the etiology of homosexuality, Of Maybugs and Men is a breath of fresh air. Pieter Adriaens and Andreas De Block explore not only the science of sexual orientation but also the indispensable value judgments that permeate empirical investigation. A must-read for anyone working on these topics—indeed, for anyone interested in how to approach history, science, and sexuality with rigor and nuance." -- John Corvino, author of What’s Wrong with Homosexuality?"With contemporary attitudes and concepts around gender, sex, and sexual orientation evolving at a breakneck pace, it can be hard to find one's footing or coherently navigate through the ever-changing—highly politicized—discourse. Helpfully, Adriaens and De Block have taken on the subject of same-sex sexual orientation from an interdisciplinary perspective: they draw on history, philosophy, and sociology of science, among other disciplines, to provide a much-needed, rich and illuminating frame of reference that will inform and challenge even the most seasoned scholars of sex and sexual orientation. At the same time, beginners will appreciate their clear, fresh writing tethered to many concrete examples and illustrations. Their book is a delight to read and marks an important contribution to our understanding of who we are as sexual beings." -- Brian D. Earp, coeditor of The Routledge Handbook of Philosophy of Sex and Sexuality"Adriaens and De Block present an incisive review of research into male homosexuality from a philosophical perspective. They carefully dissect the meanings of terms that researchers often employ without a great deal of thought. Their ideas about the evolution of homosexuality are especially illuminating." -- Simon LeVay, author of Gay, Straight, and the Reason WhyTable of ContentsIntroduction: Thinking about Science and Homosexuality 1. Not by Genes and Hormones Alone: On Homosexuality and Innateness 2. Sham Matings and Other Shenanigans: On Animal Homosexuality 3. Beyond the Paradox: On Homosexuality and Evolutionary Theory 4. Values, Facts, and Disorders: On Homosexuality and Psychiatry Epilogue: Gaydars and the Dangers of Research on Sexual Orientation Acknowledgments Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“A fascinating sketch of Kuhn’s mature thought. . . . The proponents of competing paradigms may practice their trades in different worlds, but, as Kuhn was at pains to stress in his last writings, sometimes those worlds are closer than we think.” -- Paul Dicken * Los Angeles Review of Books *"The road from The Structure of Scientific Revolutions to the drafts in Last Writings was, to a large extent, a long walk back—Kuhn’s attempt to clarify, revise, secure, and modify the ‘purple passages,' to dissociate himself and his book from the vulgar and the relativists. In one matter, however, he stuck firmly to a sentiment in the book that had given aid and comfort to the supposed ‘enemies of science.' You should not, Kuhn had written, think that scientific change brought practitioners ‘closer and closer to the truth.'" -- Steven Shapin * London Review of Books *"The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) by philosopher of science Kuhn is ‘indispensable reading for every well-educated person,’ writes philosopher Mladenović in her introduction to this collection. She presents unpublished drafts of a reworking of Structure’s philosophical framework, with the texts of two lectures not previously published in English. Together, these explore whether historians can understand past scientific paradigms, even though these are incommensurable with present science." -- Andrew Robinson * Nature *"Readers can see Kuhn grappling with the differences between his own needs, as a philosopher and historian, and the needs of current scientists. . . . When we 'transition between worlds' today, many of us habitually presume that, in disagreements, our opponents are simply lying. Of course, this happens sometimes. But more common, I think, are interactions involving the Kuhnian difficulties of translation. One of the enduring lessons from Thomas Kuhn is that of just how difficult it is to imagine the mental lives of others, and of just how easily truths can be lost in their transit from one mind to another." -- David Kordahl * 3 Quarks Daily *"Mladenović . . . has done a great service with her new book The Last Writings of Thomas S Kuhn. Containing the unfinished draft of a book that Kuhn was still working on when he died in 1996, Last Writings brings much needed clarity to Kuhn’s philosophy and his understanding of how science develops. . . . Granted, Kuhn’s work was unfinished, but hopefully, the Last Writings will reinvigorate conversations about incommensurability for years to come." -- Gino Elia * Physics World *"Kuhn’s seminal 1962 history The Structure of Scientific Revolutions gets a posthumous follow-up in this complex volume. . . . Mladenović provides a comprehensive and thoughtful introduction to the work. . . . Philosophy lovers . . . will find plenty to chew on." * Publishers Weekly *"This book offers an editorial reconstruction of Thomas Kuhn's uncompleted final work, The Plurality of Worlds. . . Kuhn argues for a view of past and current science as empirically grounded and scientific change as rational, while retaining the insight that competing scientific paradigms are incommensurable. . . Recommended." * Choice * "Mladenović's edition of some of Kuhn’s last and most valuable writings is a gem for philosophers of science. . . . The writings of his last stage as a philosopher of science exhibit a profound awareness of the intricacies and consequences of his particular approach to the field. A careful reading of this volume shows this and many other interpretive keys for Kuhn’s philosophy of science. I hope that this brief summary of the volume will do as an invitation to read and reread this wonderful incomplete treatise. Kuhn’s thinking is still alive in these pages." -- Juan V. Mayoral * Journal for General Philosophy of Science *"After being on the wish-list of many historians and philosophers of science for decades, The Last Writings of Thomas S. Kuhn are finally available and open to discussion for interested readers. . . . The editor obviously did detailed and hard work on the manuscripts, some of which were left unfinished and required substantial engagement with the pieces, notes, and a significant knowledge of Kuhn’s person, intention, and works. The editorial work is also reflected in the additional notes at the end of the volume—explaining some of Kuhn’s mysterious remarks, mistakes, or unfinished sections—and a short index. . . . Leaving plenty of space for further discussion and comparisons, one remains in a state of puzzlement when asked whether The Last Writings belongs to philosophy, sociology, or history of science, or perhaps to the even newer trends of history and philosophy of science. The sciences, including psychology, neurology, comparative anthropology, and cognitive enterprises, are marching forward, providing sufficient material for philosophers to engage with." -- Adam Tamas Tuboly * Metascience *"The Last Writings pave the way for the development of new approaches by epistemologists, providing useful philosophical tools. More generally, this collection gives elements of answers to classical problems, such as the relationship between language and the world or the status of truth in science." -- Alexandre Francq and Sylvain Billiard * Quarterly Review of Biology *“Combining Kuhn’s unfinished last book, The Plurality of Worlds, with two related works not previously available in English, and a substantial and illuminating introduction by editor Bojana Mladenović, The Last Writings of Thomas S. Kuhn will be received as an absolute gem by philosophers of science, as well as by the wide swath of academics across the social sciences and humanities who revere Kuhn.” -- Cheryl Misak, Department of Philosophy, University of Toronto, author of "Frank Ramsey: A Sheer Excess of Powers"Table of ContentsEditor’s Introduction Editor’s Note Thomas S. Kuhn: Scientific Knowledge as Historical Product Abstract for “The Presence of Past Science (The Shearman Memorial Lectures)” Thomas S. Kuhn: The Presence of Past Science (The Shearman Memorial Lectures) Lecture I: Regaining the Past Lecture II: Portraying the Past Lecture III: Embodying the Past Abstract for The Plurality of Worlds: An Evolutionary Theory of Scientific Development Thomas S. Kuhn: The Plurality of Worlds: An Evolutionary Theory of Scientific Development Acknowledgments Part I: The Problem Chapter 1: Scientific Knowledge as Historical Product Chapter 2: Breaking into the Past Chapter 3: Taxonomy and Incommensurability Part II: A World of Kinds Chapter 4: Biological Prerequisites to Linguistic Description: Track and Situations Chapter 5: Natural Kinds: How Their Names Mean Chapter 6: Practices, Theories, and Artefactual Kinds Bibliography Editor’s Acknowledgments Notes Index

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Book SynopsisA concise primer that complicates a convenient truth in biologythe divide between germ and somatic cellswith far-reaching ethical and public policy ramifications. Scientists have long held that we have two kinds of cellsgerm and soma. Make a change to germ cellssay using genome editingand that change will appear in the cells of future generations. Somatic cells are safe after such tampering; modify your skin cells, and your future children's skin cells will never know. And, while germ cells can give rise to new generations (including all of the somatic cells in a body), somatic cells can never become germ cells. How did scientists discover this relationship and distinction between somatic and germ cellsthe so-called Weismann Barrierand does it actually exist? Can somatic cells become germ cells in the way germ cells become somatic cells? That is, can germ cells regenerate from somatic cells even though conventional wisdom denies this possibility? Covering research from the late ninTrade Review“Excellent. A truly original take on the history of the Weismann Barrier and how it developed into a questionable assumption that forms the basis of various modern concepts about germ cells and regeneration.” -- Hanna Lucia Worliczek, Max Planck Institute for the History of Science, Berlin“We need to see regeneration as a window into the world of biology in general, and the complex feedback loops that decide what grows, divides and dies, where and when.” -- Simon Ings * New Scientist, on "What Is Regeneration?" *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 Uncovering Assumptions That Have Shaped Germ Cell Science 2 Backgrounding Conflicts within Germ Cell Science 3 Challenging Assumptions in Germline Science 4 Implications of Reenvisioning Germline Regeneration Epilogue Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA study of the ethical dilemmas and moral issues surrounding the interaction of humans and technology. Drawing from Heidegger and Foucault, as well as from philosophers of technology such as Don Ihde and Bruno Latour, it locates morality not just in the human users of technology but in the interaction between us and our machines.Trade Review"Peter-Paul Verbeek's insightful analysis invites us to attend more carefully to the ways we practice our moralities, not only with other people and nature but also among and through the artifacts that have become our children, siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, with all the love-hate relationships typical of family life." (Carl Mitcham, Colorado School of Mines)"

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Book SynopsisTracing the history of mesmerism, this text explores the contested territory between science and pseudoscience and society and science. Examining who was entranced, who did the entrancing, why it was so compelling and how it became equally powerful evidence of fraud and unscientific behaviour.

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Book SynopsisThis long-overdue volume explores Donna Haraway's influence on feminist theory and philosophy, paying particular attention to her more recent work on companion species, rather than her “Manifesto for Cyborgs.”Trade Review...an invaluable tool for student's wishing to further explore Haraway's work. Critical TheoryTable of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. Adventures with Haraway 2. Natures 3. Knowledges 4. Politics 5. Ethics 6. Stories Sowing Worlds: A Seed Bag for Terraforming with Earth Others Appendix: Some Bibliometric Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewExtinction Studies collects haunting and haunted multivoiced stories that echo together in a vibrant plea for an ethic of care, lucidity, and obstinate, stammering hope. We need such stories to make us feel and think with the unraveling of a world we inherit and share together with innumerable entangled forms and ways of life. We need them also to repopulate our devastated imaginations and to help us escape the twin easy temptations of nihilist despair and blind confidence. -- Isabelle Stengers, author of Cosmopolitics This extraordinary collection addresses one of the most sobering aspects of the current environmental crisis. The contributing scholars use narrative as the vehicle for their historical, ethnographic, zoological, meditative, and poetic insights. The result is both personal and scholarly, both illuminating and a pleasure to read. -- Harriet Ritvo, Arthur J. Conner Professor of History, Massachusetts Institute of Technology Extinction Studies makes an important contribution to human-animal studies and the environmental humanities as the volume explores what extinctions and recoveries of endangered animal species mean in different cultural contexts. These perceptive and wide-ranging essays focus on the narrative and philosophical frameworks that turn the ecological reduction of bioabundance and biodiversity into sources of reflection about human and more-than-human ways of life as they unfold across generations and evolutionary ages. These analyses and meditations acknowledge both that animals can never be fully assimilated to human understanding, and that human stories play a crucial role in shaping the bonds with animals that take multispecies communities into a future of danger, but also of hope and exuberance. -- Ursula K. Heise, Marcia H. Howard Chair in Literary Studies, University of California, Los Angeles Human-caused extinction challenges our own survival-but also our compassion and our ability to tell stories adequate to shifting configurations of 'us' and 'them.' This volume gathers seven fine storytellers who show us what it means to lose or save another animal species in an era of rapid extinctions. These are tales of passion, time, conflict, learning, slaughter, imprisonment, and prayer. Drawing upon their common membership in an interdisciplinary and international working group on extinction studies, the authors show the potential of the environmental humanities to address one of the major crises of our moment in history. -- Anna Tsing, University of California, Santa Cruz The studies contained in this volume cross species and kingdom boundaries, and are full of hope just as much as grief and mourning. In bearing witness to the lives of species that are functionally and/or already extinct, the authors present multiple modes of response and responsibility for those of us who remain. -- Brett Buchanan, associate professor of philosophy and director of the School of the Environment at Laurentian UniversityTable of ContentsForeword, by Cary Wolfe Introduction: Telling Extinction Stories, by Deborah Bird Rose, Thom van Dooren, and Matthew Chrulew 1. Walking with Okami, the Large-Mouthed Pure God, by James Hatley 2. Saving the Golden Lion Tamarin, by Matthew Chrulew 3. Extinction in a Distant Land: The Question of Elliot's Bird of Paradise, by Rick De Vos 4. Monk Seals at the Edge: Blessings in a Time of Peril, by Deborah Bird Rose 5. Encountering Leatherbacks in Multispecies Knots of Time, by Michelle Bastian 6. Spectral Crows in Hawai'i: Conservation and the Work of Inheritance, by Thom van Dooren Afterword: It Is an Entire World That Has Disappeared, by Vinciane Despret Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisEnergy Dreams interrogates the ontology of energy from the first coinage of the word energeia by Aristotle to the current practice of fracking and the popularity of “energy drinks.”Trade ReviewEnergy is something that pervades all our concerns from ecological to libidinal: we dream about clean renewable energy, condemn fracking, gain strength through energy drinks. Michael Marder's Energy Dreams moves beyond these topics and asks a more fundamental hermeneutic question: what understanding of energy is presupposed in our mundane concerns? He demonstrates brilliantly that we need a new philosophical paradigm and that only in this way will we be able to properly confront all the practical problems in our dealings with energy. Marder's book makes it clear that only a deeper theoretical reflection will enable us to solve our most "practical" problems-a lesson needed like daily bread in today's world, which more and more abhors authentic thinking. -- Slavoj Zizek, author of Less Than Nothing and Absolute Recoil Energy Dreams is an intellectually fascinating and exciting investigation of energy, and it represents a new generation of environmental thinking that tackles the environmental crisis with philosophical sophistication and adventurousness. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in contemporary debates in environmental and political philosophy. -- Adrian Parr, author of The Wrath of Capital Energy Dreams is a passionate philosophical page-turner, a beautifully rendered and urgently needed elemental philosophy of non-violence that journeys to the very heart of how we imagine our relationships to ourselves, each other, our worlds, and the earth itself. Marder's vegetal thinking is visionary. -- Kelly Oliver, author of Earth and World: Philosophy After the Apollo Missions Michael Marder's Energy Dreams is a book on energeia, broadly conceived, a reflectively literal tour de force, moving through Aristotle to Hegel, including the many contemporary and historical meanings of energy, touching down with Heidegger and even Carl Schmitt but always returning to Aristotle. Marder offers a conversational yet rigorous reflection on some the most important issues of our time. -- Babette Babich, Fordham UniversityTable of ContentsOpening Words 1. Energy Dreams 2. Theological Musings 3. Economic Chimeras 4. Psychological Reveries 5. Political Fantasies 6. Physical Fancies The Last Word: Energy or Energies? P.S.-The Very Last Word Notes Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisA stimulating perspective on how scientists interpret the world and communicate among themselves and with othersTrade Review"An interesting and important book . . . filled with insight about the way scientists think and work, a book that will generate an important dialogue about science and science education.”--Journal of Chemical Education"Making Truth is an engaging and well-written book about the importance of metaphor in science, intended for a wide audience."--Philosophy of Science"Brown has a fluid and accessible writing style, and whether or not you find his thesis convincing, Making Truth makes for thought-provoking and worthwhile reading."--The Nucleus“For anyone interested in the philosophy of science. Highly recommended.”--Choice"To sum up: Theodore L. Brown's book is excellent."--HYLE--International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry"Anyone with a serious interest in science must read this book. In it, Brown demonstrates that metaphorical thought is central in all branches of science, just as it is in everyday life and mathematics. Particles as waves, time as a spatial dimension, gravity as the curvature of space-time, ion channels, protein folding. All these crucial scientific metaphors--and many more--allow us to understand science in terms of our embodied experience, build comprehensible models, make predictions, and perform precise calculations."--George Lakoff, coauthor of Metaphors We Live By, Philosophy in the Flesh, and Where Mathematics Comes From“This is an important book. Scientists will find it thought-provoking, and science teachers will find it a gold mine. Indeed, this book could be transforming for science education at the elementary, high school, and introductory college level.”--Linda S. Wilson, president emerita of Radcliffe College and coauthor of Who Succeeds in Science? The Gender DimensionTable of ContentsPreface ix 1. Scientific Thought and Practice 1 2. Introduction to Metaphor 14 3. The Theory of Conceptual Metaphor 31 4. The Classical Atom 53 5. The Modern Atom 74 6. Molecular Models in Chemistry and Biology 100 7. Protein Folding 122 8. Cellular-Level Metaphors 146 9. Global Warming 160 10. Science's Metaphorical Foundations: The Social in Science 183 Notes 197 Index 211

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Book SynopsisExplores what the last few decades of European/American, feminist, and postcolonial science and technology studies can learn from each other. This book proposes new directions for thinking about objectivity, method, and reflexivity in light of the new understandings developed in the post-World War II world.Trade Review" ... a fascinating and important book." --Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development

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Book SynopsisA mind-expanding exploration of light and how we experience the universeTrade Review"A brilliant and distinguished book... Grandy introduces a trans-scientific understanding of light as a deep ordering principle within the universe." -Thaddeus J. Trenn, University of TorontoTable of ContentsIntroduction1. Space, Time, and Light Speed Constancy2. Special Relativity3. Horizonal Light4. Experiential Light5. Relational Light6. Internal Relations7. Light in a Vacuum8. Ambient Light9. Pre-reflective Experience10. Body, World, and Light11. Existential LightNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAn overview of Simone Weil's writings on science and mathematics which opens the door to dialogue between philosophy, art, and religionTrade Review"For its rigor, as well as for its faithful reading of Simone Weil's work, this book merits special attention. Starting with a well-defined aspect of Weil's thought, the author shows the unity of this thought, unified through its relationship, from one end to the other, with the Good." —Cahiers Simone Weil"Weaving the World is a detailed account of the philosophy of science and knowledge of Simone Weil. It is a very useful contribution to our understanding of one of the deepest and most incandescent thinkers of the twentieth century." —Martin Andic, University of Massachusetts, Boston"Weaving the World is a well-written and lucid overview of Simone Weil's writings on science and mathematics. This book will be of great benefit for anyone who wishes to pursue Weil's thought in depth." —Eric O. Springsted, President of the American Weil Society

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Book SynopsisIn this thought-provoking book, distinguished legal scholar Joseph Vining traces the complex roots of brutal twentieth-century human experimentation and extermination to worldviews that dehumanize both perpetrators and victims in distinctive ways, stripping them of their individuality as well as their intrinsic dignity and value. Vining finds a disturbing parallel between these worldviews and what he calls total theory. Total theories are beautiful and helpful explanations through attention to system and process that aggressively claim to account for the universe and everything in it. Vining maintains that some of the most gifted intellectuals and scientists of our time profess these theories without necessarily considering the implications of such totalizing worldviews.Using the example of the song sparrow and the child, Vining opens our eyes to the ramifications of total theory. He challenges readers to question casual acceptance of the total theories that are widely and quTrade Review“The Song Sparrow and the Child is a powerful indictment of the impulses toward intellectual imperialism that have arisen in the wake of the fragmentation of the human and natural sciences. Vining has given us an important book, illuminating as only he can the hidden connections among seemingly unrelated phenomena.” —Mary Ann Glendon, Learned Hand Professor of Law, Harvard University“The Song Sparrow and the Child is an astonishing and wonderful book. With exquisite sensitivity to science as an admirable human practice Joseph Vining has thought through the implications of the scientific ambition for “total theory,” for all-encompassing frameworks of explanation. Far from being intrinsic to the scientific endeavor, Vining argues that total theory is a threat—not only to science but also to the broader realm of human thought and ethical action. The Song Sparrow and the Child recalls us to a concern for particularity and for honesty about the infliction of suffering which is intellectually convincing and does so with both grace and passion. This is a book that demands, and rewards, thinking hard with the mind and heart.” —H. Jefferson Powell, Professor of Law and Divinity, Duke University“This book is an erudite, personal, and even poetic discourse on the conception of humankind’s role that may be necessary in order that the sparrow and the child, the lamb and the lion, and all humankind live together with a greater sense of awe and harmony.” —Harold T. Shapiro, President Emeritus and Professor of Economics and Public Affairs, Princeton University". . .The Song Sparrow and the Child is continuous with earlier writings that have established Vining among the more profoundly challenging but also more idiosyncratic and elusive (and as a result, I believe, underappreciated) legal thinkers in recent decades. . . one of the voices in the legal academy most worth listening to." —Michigan Law Review". . . wise, gentle, and impassioned book. . ." —Theological Studies"Vining uses words well, even elegantly. His book is a combination legal argument and sermon." —Choice

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Book SynopsisThis book illustrates scientific methodology through descriptions of how actual scientists create science. The authors present a novel point of view, arguing that the popular perception of science as being strictly objective is untrue and that knowledge is often acquired through very personal means.Trade Review"Press and Tanur argue that subjectivity has not only played a significant role in the advancement of science, but that science will advance more rapidly if the modern methods of Bayesian statistical analysis replace some of the more classical twentieth-century methods." (SciTech Book News, Vol. 25, No. 3, September 2001) "An insightful work." (Choice, Vol. 39, No. 4, December 2001) "compilation of interesting and popular problems" (Short Book Reviews - Publication of the Int. Statistical Institute, December 2001) "...this book is fascinating." (Short Book Reviews, Vol. 21, No. 3, December 2001) "...highlight the role of subjectivity in science by describing the life and works of 17 scientists." (Zentralblatt MATH, Vol. 973, 2001/23)Table of ContentsPrefaceix 1. Introduction 1 2. Selecting the Scientists 17 3. Some Well Known Stories of Extreme Subjectivity 23 3.1 Introduction 23 3.2 Johannes Kepler 23 3.3 Gregor Mendel 26 3.4 Robert Millikan 34 3.5 Cyril Burt 37 3.6 Margaret Mead 43 4. Stories of Famous Scientists 49 4.1 Introduction 49 4.2 Aristotle 51 4.3 Galileo Galilei 60 4.4 William Harvey 71 4.5 Sir Isaac Newton 81 4.6 Antoine Lavoisier 95 4.7 Alexander von Humboldt 110 4.8 Michael Faraday 121 4.9 Charles Darwin 128 4.10 Louis Pasleur 143 4.11 Sigmund Freud 156 4.12 Marie Curie 166 4.13 Albert Einstein 177 4.14 Same Conjecrures About the Scientists 189 5. Subjectivity .in Science in Modern Times: The Bayesian Approach199 Appendix: References by Field of Application for Bayesian Statistical Science225 Bibliography 231 Subject Index 249 Name Index 267

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Book Synopsis"Stafford Beer is undoubtedly among the worlda s most provocative, creative, and profound thinkers on the subject of management, and he records his thinking with a flair that is unmatched. His writing is as much art as it is science. He is the most viable system I know.Table of ContentsNot Obtainable.

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Book SynopsisExamining perspectives on time, how and why we measure time as we do, and time in relation to our lives, the author launches a wide-ranging enquiry into this elusive concept. The book looks at time and the universe as a whole, from the "beginnings" of time through to the present.Table of ContentsWhat Do We Mean When We Talk About Time? Clocks and Calendars. Time and Life. Human Time. The Artistic View of Time. A Growing Sense of Geological Time. Geochronometry. Stratigraphy. The Solar System and Beyond. Cosmology. The Philosophy of Time. What Do We Understand When We Think About Time? Further Reading. Index.

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Book SynopsisConstructs a fresh approach to a longtime problem for the philosopher of science: how to explain the simultaneous and widespread presence of both agreement and disagreement in science.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Preface One Two Puzzles about Science: Reflections on Some Crises in Philosophy and Sociology of Science The Consensual View and the Puzzle of Agreement The "New Wave" Preoccupation with Dissensus Two The Hierarchical Structure of Scientific Debates Factual Consensus Formation Methodological Consensus Formation Three Closing the Evaluative Circle: Resolving Disagreements about Cognitive Values The Covariance Fallacy The Reticulated Model and the Mechanics of Goal Evaluation The Reticulated Model of Scientific Rationality Four Dissecting the Holist Picture of Scientific Change Kuhn on the Units of Scientific Change Kuhn's Critique of Methodology Five A Reticulational Critique of Realist Axiology and Methodology Epilogue References Index

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Book SynopsisProvides an account of the knowledge that science provides. This title offers an absorbing discussion of how life works, of the nature of reproduction, aging, and death, and of the necessary fragility of the individual life compared to the resilience of life itself.

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Book SynopsisIn this important new work, Professor Trigg deals with the question of the rational foundations of science. In so doing, he explains and evaluates the views of Rorty, Wittgensteing, Quine, Putnam, and Hawking, amongst others. The limits of science and rationality are explored and the power of human reason is in the end upheld.Trade Review"A book of tremendous importance which must be commended to the widest possible readership." Regent's Review "A wonderful read for practicing the power of human reasoning." Choice "Rationality and Science is tightly argued, well-written, highly accessible to the non-philosopher and compulsory reading for any scientist who wishes to explore the rational underpinnings of the scientific enterprise." Science & Christian Belief "This is a very good book. Trigg performs an invaluable service in tackling complex questions and issues in a way which does not leave the reader struggling. More impressive still is the sheer scope of the discussion. Not only does Trigg present a clear case for his position, but he does so in a way which takes the reader on a grand tour of some of the main currents of contemporary philosophical thought." Metascience "Philosophers of all persuasions will have a lot to learn by reading this book, not only about a philosophical programme, but also about the current debates concerning some hot philosophical issues such as the problem of consciousness, the anthropic principle and evolutionary epistemology." MINDTable of ContentsIntroduction. 1. Science and Reason. 2. Science and Pragmatism. 3. The End of Reason. 4. Science and Naturalism. 5. A God's-Eye View. 6. Science and Humanity. 7. Science and Society. 8. Can Science Explain Everything?. 9. The Legitimation of Science. 10. Reason and Metaphysics.

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Book SynopsisThis study explores the relation of religion and the natural sciences, focusing specifically on Christianity as a case study. It examines the way in which religions and the natural sciences differ from each other, yet converge on matters of considerable interest.Trade Review"McGrath...provides a detailed examination of the relationship between natural sciences and religion, specifically Christianity"Publishers Weekly, New YorkTable of ContentsAcknowledgements. 1. Starting All Over Again. 2. The Quest for Order. 3. The Investigation of the World. 4. The Reality of the World. 5. The Representation of the World. In Place of a Conclusion: Beyond Conflict. Notes. Bibliography. Index.

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Book Synopsis* Explores numerous issues and positions in the three most basic areas of Philosophy: Theory of Knowledge, Theory of Value, and Metaphysics. * Identifies and explains the Socratic Method, Running out the Permutations, and Rational Dialogue. * Teaches readers to think through philosophical problems.Trade Review"The book is written in a clear, lively, and engaging style. The selection of topics is excellent, and the writing is done in such a way as to directly engage the beginning student in thinking about philosophical issues. Creel does an excellent job of relating basic philosophical issues to the concerns of everyday life. All in all, a superb job." William Alston, Syracuse University "It is clear the book is born of experience in teaching students. Creel addresses objections they are likely to have and engages them right where they are coming from. The book stays focused on 'big issues' in a way that matches up with students' expectations of what a philosophy class should be about." Trenton Merricks, Virginia Commonwealth University "Thinking Philosophically will make a lively and distinctive addition to the introductory literature. The book will allow teachers and students alike to benefit from Richard Creel's own experience as an undergraduate teacher. Strongly recommended." Aaron Ridley, University of SouthamptonTable of ContentsA Preface to Teachers. Acknowledgments. Philosophers in Thinking Philosophically. Part I: Metaphilosophy:. 1. Introduction. 2. What is Philosophy?. 3. Why We Do Philosophy. 4. The Two Most Basic Causes of Philosophy. 5. Reason, Philosophy, and Other Disciplines. 6. Methods for Doing Philosophy. 7. Things Philosophers Do. 8. A Healthy Philosophical Attitude. 9. Alternatives to Philosophy. Part II: Epistemology:. Chapter 10: What is Truth?. 11. What is Knowledge?. 12. Logic - Understanding and Evaluating Arguments. Part III: THEORY OF VALUE:. 13. Axiology and Happiness. 14. Ethics and Morality. Part IV: Metaphysics:. 15. Freedom & Determinism. 16. The Mind/Body Problem. 17. Philosophical Theism. 18. Philosophical Materialism. 19. Metaphysical Idealism. Part V: Parting Remarks:. Index.

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Book SynopsisThis volume aims to help the reader acquire a sense of what philosophy is, how it began, why it persists, and how it is related to other fields of study, especially science.Trade Review"The book is written in a clear, lively, and engaging style. The selection of topics is excellent, and the writing is done in such a way as to directly engage the beginning student in thinking about philosophical issues. Creel does an excellent job of relating basic philosophical issues to the concerns of everyday life. All in all, a superb job." William Alston, Syracuse University "It is clear the book is born of experience in teaching students. Creel addresses objections they are likely to have and engages them right where they are coming from. The book stays focused on 'big issues' in a way that matches up with students' expectations of what a philosophy class should be about." Trenton Merricks, Virginia Commonwealth University "Thinking Philosophically will make a lively and distinctive addition to the introductory literature. The book will allow teachers and students alike to benefit from Richard Creel's own experience as an undergraduate teacher. Strongly recommended." Aaron Ridley, University of SouthamptonTable of ContentsA Preface to Teachers. Acknowledgments. Philosophers in Thinking Philosophically. Part I: Metaphilosophy:. 1. Introduction. 2. What is Philosophy?. 3. Why We Do Philosophy. 4. The Two Most Basic Causes of Philosophy. 5. Reason, Philosophy, and Other Disciplines. 6. Methods for Doing Philosophy. 7. Things Philosophers Do. 8. A Healthy Philosophical Attitude. 9. Alternatives to Philosophy. Part II: Epistemology:. Chapter 10: What is Truth?. 11. What is Knowledge?. 12. Logic - Understanding and Evaluating Arguments. Part III: THEORY OF VALUE:. 13. Axiology and Happiness. 14. Ethics and Morality. Part IV: Metaphysics:. 15. Freedom & Determinism. 16. The Mind/Body Problem. 17. Philosophical Theism. 18. Philosophical Materialism. 19. Metaphysical Idealism. Part V: Parting Remarks:. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe final work of the esteemed philosopher William Demopoulos supplants logical empiricism’s accounts of physical theories, which fail to satisfactorily engage modern physics. Arguing for a new appreciation of the tightly woven character of theory and evidence, Demopoulos offers novel insights into the distinctive nature of quantum reality.Trade ReviewDemopoulos has crafted a thoughtful and interesting interpretation of quantum mechanics that completes his earlier work of the mid-’70s…A wonderful tribute to a very significant philosopher. -- Adrian Heathcote * Metascience *Demopoulos wrote ‘for the eye of God and the good of my soul,’ as he used to say. On Theories is a stunning achievement, a profound argument for a novel thesis about the nature of truth in scientific theories, ranging from case studies about our understanding of molecular reality to Bohr’s dispute with Einstein about quantum reality. -- Jeffrey Bub, University of MarylandOn Theories, a painstaking analysis of the seemingly straightforward concept of theory, takes us on an exciting journey through twentieth-century science and philosophy of science. It critiques naïve dogmas such as the theory/observation dichotomy, replacing them with a nuanced account centered on the notion of ‘theory-mediated measurement.’ On the basis of this account, Demopoulos offers a novel interpretation of major breakthroughs in classical as well as quantum mechanics. Meticulous in its historical analysis and compelling in its philosophical argument, On Theories is a must for anyone interested in science and its method. -- Yemima Ben-Menahem, The Hebrew University of JerusalemWilliam Demopoulos was one of the leading philosophers of science of his generation. An accomplished logician whose mastery of the logicist tradition was unequaled, he was just as productive in contemporary philosophy of physics, especially philosophy of quantum physics. On Theories brings to a stunning close a line of research he actively pursued for the last two decades: the epistemology and ontology of physical theories. This is not only an important book but a rare landmark in the development of the discipline. -- Thomas Uebel, University of Manchester

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Book SynopsisMany scientists look at the universe and conclude we are here by chance. The astronomer and historian Owen Gingerich looks at the same evidence—and the fact that the universe is comprehensible to our minds—and sees it as proof for the intentions of a Creator-God. The more rigorous science becomes, the more clearly God’s handiwork can be understood.Trade Review[A] short, punchy, accessible, and thought-provoking book… What sets this book apart from others dealing with the science–religion debate is that rather than dealing in generalities, the author illustrates his viewpoint by focusing on three case studies related to the work of three scientists, Nicolaus Copernicus, Charles Darwin, and Fred Hoyle. The introduction of personal details concerning these thinkers makes what is already an easy read even more enjoyable and engaging. -- Russell Stannard * Christian Century *A rich volume you’ll want to keep in your library. -- John Farrell * Forbes.com *I thought I knew all I needed to know about these characters—Copernicus, Darwin, Hoyle—who shaped our modern view of the cosmos. Now Owen Gingerich provides new facts and deeper understanding of all three of them. -- Freeman DysonAstronomer-historian Owen Gingerich rebuts the claim made by Stephen Jay Gould that science and religion are ‘non-overlapping magisteria’ with no influence on each other. He does so by carefully analyzing three scientific discoveries whose full significance is only clarified through metascientific assessment. Gingerich’s argument is scholarly, yet the writing is so clear and lively that it is readily accessible. -- The Rev. Dr. John Polkinghorne, KBE, FRSEminent scholar Gingerich shows how religious perspectives have played significant roles in major scientific discoveries and frameworks…This enlightened Christian’s goal is to show that Steven J. Gould’s allegedly non-overtapping magisteria (NOMA), namely science and religion, are actually constantly overlapping…God’s Planet is fascinating in its wealth of information and insights. -- V. V. Raman * Choice *

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Book SynopsisKant sought throughout his life to provide a philosophy adequate to the sciences of his time—especially Euclidean geometry and Newtonian physics. Friedman argues that Kant’s efforts to find a metaphysics that could provide a foundation for the sciences is of utmost importance in understanding the development of his philosophical thought.Trade ReviewFriedman masterfully shows how Kant’s ideas arose from the tension between the empirical success of Newtonian physics and the rationalism of Leibniz and Wolff. The resulting philosophy of science is thick with interpretive knots. Friedman patiently unties each, using lucid presentations of the scientific, mathematical, and logical background to motivate his resolutions. Kant and the Exact Sciences is an exciting and important book. -- Mark Risjord * Studies in the History and Philosophy of Science *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Metaphysics and Exact Science in the Evolution of Kant's Thought PART ONE: THE CRITICAL PERIOD 1. Geometry 2. Concepts and Intuitions in the Mathematical Sciences 3. Metaphysical Foundations of Newtonian Science 4. Space, the Understanding, and the Law of Gravitation: Prolegomena 38 PART TWO: THE OPUS POSTUMUM 5. Transition from the Metaphysical Foundations of Natural Science to Physics I The Transition Project and the Metaphysical Foundations II The Transition Project and Reflective Judgement III The Chemical Revolution IV The Aether-Deduction V The Fate of the Aether-Deduction References and Translations for Kant's Writings General Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisGregory shows that the loss of nature from theological discourse is only one reflection of the larger cultural change that marks the transition of European society from a 19th-century to a 20-century mentality, depicting varying theological responses to the growth of natural science.Table of ContentsPart I. The Historical Challenge of Religion and Science 1. Historiographical Approaches to German Religion and Science 2. The Shape of German Protestant Theology in the Nineteenth Century Part II. Nature Retained 3. The New Hegelian Faith of David Friedrich Strauss 4. Otto Zockler, the Orthodox School, and the Problem of Creation 5. Rudolf Schmid and the Reconciliation of Science and Religion Part III. Nature Lost 6. Wilhelm Hermann's Encounter with the Theology of Albrecht Ritschl 7. The Existential Critique of Religion and Science Epilogue: The Future Challenge of Religion and Science Bibliography Notes Index

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Book SynopsisJacopo Zabarella's two treatises On Methods and On Regressus (1578) are among the most important Renaissance discussions of how scientific knowledge should be acquired, arranged, and transmitted. They belong to a lively debate about the order in which sciences should be taught and the method to be followed in demonstrations.

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Book SynopsisR. I. G. Hughes offers the first detailed and accessible analysis of the Hilbert-space models used in quantum theory and explains why they are so successful. He goes on to show how the very suitability of Hilbert spaces for modeling the quantum world gives rise to deep problems of interpretation and makes suggestions about how they can be overcome.Trade ReviewA formidable and intelligent account of the (partial) Hilbert-space formalization of quantum mechanics and the inevitable philosophical ambiguities that result… A marvelous book. -- P. D. Skiff * Choice *The power and elegance of the quantum-mechanical arguments are excellently portrayed and the reader…could not help being impressed by the sheer intellectual beauty of the subject. -- Alastair Rae * Times Higher Education Supplement *[This book] complements the material covered in standard textbooks on quantum theory, in which the issue of interpretation of the theory is too often neglected. -- Eduardo Sanchez Velasco * Science Books and Films *Hughes has written the best self-contained introduction to the foundations of quantum mechanics yet to appear… Hughes is clearly a gifted teacher, and a casual look at the book may suggest that it is primarily a textbook. In fact, a definitive interpretive perspective is developed throughout the book. -- Allen Stairs * Synthèse *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction. The Stern-Gerlach Experiment PART I THE STRUCTURE OF QUANTUM THEORY 1. Vector Spaces Vectors Operators Eigenvectors and Eigenvalues Inner Products of Vectors in R2 Complex Numbers The Space C2 The Pauli Spin Matrices Mathematical Generalization Vector Spaces Linear Operators Inner Products on V Subspaces and Projection Operators Orthonormal Bases Operators with a Discrete Spectrum Operators with a Continuous Spectrum Hilbert Spaces 2. States and Observables in Quantum Mechanics Classical Mechanics: Systems and Their States Observables and Experimental Questions States and Observables in Quantum Theory Probabilities and Expectation Values The Evolution of States in Classical Mechanics Determinism The Evolution of States in Quantum Mechanics Theories and Models 3. Physical Theory and Hilbert Spaces Minimal Assumptions for Physical Theory The Representation of Outcomes and Events The Representation of States Determinism, Indeterminism, and the Principle of Superposition Mixed States Observables and Operators Relations between Observables: Functional Dependence and Compatibility Incompatible Observables The Representational Capacity of Hilbert Spaces The Schrodinger Equation 4. Spin and Its Representation Symmetry Conditions and Spin States A Partial Representation of Spin in R2 The Representation of (Sa) in C2 Conclusion 5. Density Operators and Tensor-Product Spaces Operators of the Trace Class Density Operators Density Operators on C2 Pure and Mixed States The Dynamical Evolution of States Gleason's Theorem Composite Systems and Tensor-Product Spaces The Reduction of States of Composite Systems Part II The Interpretation of Quantum Theory 6. The Problem of Properties Properties, Experimental Questions, and the Dispersion Principle The EPR Argument Bohm's Version of the EPR Experiment The Statistical Interpretation Kochen and Specker's Example Generalizing the Problem The Bell-Wigner Inequality Hidden Variables Interpreting Quantum Theory: Statistical States and Value States 7. Quantum Logic The Algebra of Properties of a Simple Classical System Boolean Algebras Posets and Lattices The Structure of S(H) The Algebra of Events A Formal Approach to Quantum Logic An Unexceptionable Interpretation of Quantum Logic Putnam on Quantum Logic Properties and Deviant Logic 8. Probability, Causality, and Explanation Probability Generalized Two Uniqueness Results The Two-Slit Experiment: Waves and Particles The Two-Slit Experiment: Conditional Probabilities The Bell-Wigner Inequality and Classical Probability Bell Inequalities and Einstein-Locality Bell Inequalities and Causality Coupled Systems and Conditional Probabilities Probability, Causality, and Explanation 9. Measurement Three Principles of Limitation Indeterminacy and Measurement Projection Postulates Measurement and Conditionalization The Measurement Problem and Schrodinger's Cat Jauch's Model of the Measurement Process A Problem for Internal Accounts of Measurement Three Accounts of Measurement 10. An Interpretation of Quantum Theory Abstraction and Interpretation Properties and Latencies: The Quantum Event Interpretation The Copenhagen Interpretation The Priority of the Classical World Quantum Theory and the Classical Horizon Appendix A. Gleason's Theorem Appendix B. The Lyders Rule Appendix C. Coupled Systems and Conditionalization References Index

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Book SynopsisA collection of 28 essays, five previously unpublished, grouped into nine categories: Philosophy, Natural Selection, Adaptation, Darwin, Diversity, Species, Speciation, Macroevolution, and Historical Perspective.Trade ReviewIt is a pleasure to be in the company of a mind so vibrant and still exploring the boundary between the circle of what is known and the vast expanse of what isn’t. -- Lee Dembart * Los Angeles Times *Ernst Mayr is one of a handful of the greatest scientific minds humankind has yet produced… This beautifully presented collection of twenty-eight articles and essays, elegantly introduced and filled with important neologisms all contributing to clarity, is so close to competing with Darwin’s Origin of Species that I would not be surprised if history were to judge that Evolutionism in our century also has a Prophet… In short, this is one great classic. -- Dick Duman * Bloomsbury Review *Mayr’s power to discern biological connections and also to identify the telling example should excite unqualified admiration… Toward a New Philosophy of Biology is a book to be developed, to be argued with, a book whose margins should be filled with exciting scribblings. -- Philip Kitcher * Nature *Mayr is the greatest living commentator on biology; and if biology is what you do, as a researcher, teacher, writer, or as amateur, then this is a book you should own. -- Colin Tudge * New Scientist *Never too far below the surface of Mayr the philosopher or historian lies Mayr the combative scientific streetfighter. It is in this capacity that he has been most creative, informative, and downright entertaining throughout his career; and this book is no exception… If you are at all interested in evolution—as a historian, a philosopher, or, above all, as a practicing biologist—you really should read this book. -- Niles Eldredge * BioScience *Table of ContentsI. Philosophy Introduction 1. Is Biology an Autonomous Science? 2. Cause and Effect in Biology 3. The Multiple Meanings of Teleological 4. The Probability of Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life 5. The Origins of Human Ethics II. Natural Selection Introduction 6. An Analysis of the Concept of Natural Selection 7. Philosophical Aspects of Natural Selection III. Adaptation Introduction 8. Adaptation and Selection 9. How To Carry Out the Adaptationist Program? IV. Darwin Introduction 10. Darwin, Intellectual Revolutionary 11. The Challenge of Darwinism 12. What Is Darwinism 13. Darwin and Natural Selection 14. The Concept of Finality in Darwin and alter Darwin 15. The Death of Darwin V. Diversity Introduction 16. Toward a Synthesis in Biological Classification 17. Museums and Biological Laboratories 18. Problems in the Classification of Birds VI. Species Introduction 19. The Species Category 20. The Ontology of the Species Taxon VII. Speciation Introduction 21. Processes of Speciation in Animals 22. Evolution of Fish Species Flocks VIII. Macro Evolution Introduction 23. Does Microevolution Explain Macroevolution? 24. The Unity of the Genotype 25. Speciation and Macroevolution 26. Speciational Evolution through Punctuated Equilibria IX. Historical Perspective Introduction 27. On Weismann's Growth as an Evolutionist 28. On the Evolutionary Synthesis and After Index

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Book SynopsisDespite an enduring belief that science should be taught, there has been no enduring consensus about how or why. This is especially true when it comes to teaching scientific process. John Rudolph shows that how we think about and teach science will either sustain or thwart future innovation, and determine how science is perceived by the public.Trade ReviewScientific research has changed a great deal over the past century, but the ways that students have learned about science have changed even more dramatically. In this engaging and wide-ranging study, historian John Rudolph traces enormous pedagogical shifts, the aspirations behind them, and why they matter for scientists and citizens today. -- David Kaiser, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyRudolph is…laser focused on the ‘how’ of the science classroom—how its practice varies across time, how its meaning is debated by reformers, and how its role in education shifts as schools themselves change. And for that discussion there is no better guide. -- Christopher J. Phillips * Science *Rudolph’s excellent description of early science instruction is especially relevant today because we have not advanced much in this regard. We are frankly miserable at teaching science to students, even in the face of the most momentous technological achievements in human history…We must, as Rudolph encourages us, modify our errors in science education, emphasizing its absolute relevance to our existence. -- Jennifer Schnellmann * Times Higher Education *Why should we teach science? And how should we teach it? John Rudolph provides our first thorough history of the many ways that American educators have imagined—and instructed—science over the past century. At a moment when ‘STEM’ fields have become almost a fetish in American culture and education, I hope we can pause long enough to ask ourselves why. Nobody will be able to frame a good answer without first consulting this masterful book. -- Jonathan Zimmerman, University of PennsylvaniaHow We Teach Science is a provocative interrogation into the teaching of the scientific method. Weaving a tapestry of influences on policy and practice, John Rudolph delivers an insightful historical examination of the oscillating institutional goals for science education, highlighting social tensions surrounding teaching the natural sciences during the twentieth century. -- Richard Duschl, Southern Methodist UniversityOffers insight into science education’s gradual transition from the laboratory method of the late 19th century to the current Next Generation Science Standards…Importantly, Rudolph also examines how these methods have variously failed to contribute to scientific literacy and how educators and reformers might move forward in the future. * Choice *Well researched and informative…Anyone interested in science education and public policy should find much of value…No program for reshaping science teaching should be attempted without a solid knowledge of what has gone before. For that knowledge, you are unlikely to find a better source than Rudolph’s book. -- Patrick Lufkin * Technical Communication *An engaging narrative…Rudolph reminds the reader that how science is taught has important social consequences. -- Maria Kolovou * Science & Education *

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Book SynopsisPhilosopher John Campbell argues that humans are unique in our ability to imagine singular causation. While robots and nonhuman animals rely on general axioms concerning what causes what, humans can imagine the specific causes of specific outcomes. This suggests that even lifelike artificial intelligence will never truly empathize with humans.Trade ReviewI found this book highly engaging. The parts about Karl Jaspers and social robots are packed with insights that will make you nod and smile. Campbell argues that singular causation in the mind cannot be analyzed in terms of general causation, but instead is brought to light by human practices that rely on our imaginative understanding of ‘the ballistics of people’s thoughts and feelings.’ These practices include attempts to reach legal verdicts beyond a reasonable doubt about people’s motives. The book is accessible, it discusses a range of long-standing philosophical problems about action and interpretation, and no one will drown in technical details. It’s simply fantastic. -- Susanna Siegel, Harvard UniversityThere is a simplicity and directness with which John Campbell introduces and pursues material that has become cluttered and blocked in much philosophical discussion that has lost sight of the fundamental problems motivating such discussion in the first place. Causation in Psychology offers genuine, true solutions that should change the philosophical landscape for good. A fascinating, deeply original book. -- Bill Brewer, King’s College London

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Book SynopsisHere the philosopher and physicist David Z Albert argues, among other things, that the difference between past and future can be understood as a mechanical phenomenon of nature and that quantum mechanics makes it impossible to present the entirety of what can be said about the world as a narrative of “befores” and “afters.”Trade ReviewValuable for readers seriously interested in scientific metaphysics… Albert offers a piercing analysis of modern physics. -- David Kordahl * Los Angeles Review of Books *This work will influentially speak [to advanced students in both philosophy and physics]. -- P. D. Skiff * Choice *After Physics consists of eight brilliant essays in Albert’s inimitable style exploring connections between fundamental physical theories (in particular quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics) and central issues in metaphysics and epistemology. It will stimulate a great deal of discussion among those interested in matters on the border between physics and philosophy. -- Barry Loewer, Rutgers University

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Book SynopsisOffering a fresh take on what brought the world and us into being, Roy Gould helps us see the universe as the master of its own creation, not tethered to a singular event but burgeoning as new space and energy stream into existence. He explores whether life itself rather than a mere cosmic afterthought may be written into the basic laws of nature.Trade ReviewAn engaging book that clearly explains many fundamental concepts in cosmology, astrophysics, biology and chemistry, and is a must-have for all avid popular science fans. * Astronomy Now *There are details throughout Universe in Creation that highlight fascinating and mysterious coherences in the fabric of existence. * PopMatters *Gould…proposes a fascinating thesis about life’s emergence in this eloquent debut… His thought-provoking closing arguments highlight three observations of life: ‘that it is extremely robust across billions of years, that it is extremely diverse across millions of species, and that it is ubiquitous across the planet’s many environments.’ …Readers will appreciate Gould’s erudition and his new way of looking at the universe. * Publishers Weekly *Gould writes the deepest scientific thoughts with the ease of a skilled raconteur…[His] book is filled to overflowing with fascinating, imaginative detail…It is cosmology at its most intricate and explanation at its simplest. A wonderful book. * Queensland Reviewers Collective *The universe could not have dreamt up a better press agent for its story than Roy Gould. From what connects katydids and elephants, through the natural evolution of RNAs, to exoplanets and the Mandelbrot set—the author’s sense of wonder at what is around us is absolutely infectious. Gould’s explanation of how order is naturally created by using disorder at all scales is the best I have seen, making sense of purposefulness without purpose. A joyous romp through a cosmos full of wonders, and changing still! -- Roald Hoffmann, chemist and writerExciting, original, and extremely well written, Universe in Creation offers a philosophically novel perspective on the nature of the universe. -- Avi Loeb, Harvard UniversityWhen we wonder where we came from, or ponder the meaning of our lives, our thoughts might go back to childhood. In his search for meaning, Roy Gould rewinds further to where everything began: the birth of the cosmos. He is the universe’s joyful biographer, recognizing that its story and ours are intertwined, and that one of the most extraordinary things about the universe is that it created beings that can observe and appreciate it. Universe in Creation asks whether or not the universe’s creation of stars, galaxies, living cells, and human beings reveals an unfolding plan. It is a delightful, spirited, and brilliant inquiry. -- Molly Bentley, Executive Producer, Big Picture ScienceA fascinating synthesis…Gould artfully describes various…highlights in universal history, like the formation of stars and planets. Many of these moments are majestic. -- Adam Gaffney * New Republic *In a unique take on the cosmos, Gould makes the case that the emergence of a great many things are not only pre-ordained, but predictable…An interesting read that’s equally, fundamentally sound and correct. -- Ethan Siegel * Forbes *

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Book SynopsisFor 200 million years before humans developed a capacity to reason, the emotional centers of the brain were hard at work. Stephen Asma and Rami Gabriel help us understand the evolution of the mind by exploring this more primal capability that we share with other animals: the power to feel, which is the root of so much that makes us uniquely human.Trade ReviewWith impressive mastery of the scientific and philosophical literature, The Emotional Mind is an ambitious work with sweeping scope and multidisciplinary character. Asma and Gabriel have written an impressively thorough volume, pulling together work in a variety of disciplines to present a detailed picture of the fundamental role of affective systems and processes in perception, cognition, decision-making, and social behavior. -- David Livingstone Smith, author of Less than Human: Why We Demean, Enslave, and Exterminate OthersThe power of the emotions in our lives is obvious, yet many people prefer to stress the intellectual side of our species. When philosophers turn to the emotions, as in this fascinating book, something magical happens. We get a far more realistic view of human affairs by grounding our psychology in age-old impulses and strivings. -- Frans de Waal, author of Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about OurselvesIn The Emotional Mind, Asma and Gabriel have produced a scholarly work that adds significantly to the current literature. It uses cognitive science to show that affect is the neglected partner when it comes to imagining the construction of the modern human mind. This is a much-needed contribution. -- Antonio Damasio, author of The Strange Order of Things: Life, Feeling, and the Making of CulturesAn admirable accomplishment, bringing together evolutionary and ecological psychology; philosophy of mind and of psychology; and evolution of culture. This book has been called for since affective neuroscience came on the scene, and the foundational claim that emotions are shaped by and shape both internal cognition and the external world will be used to rethink human evolutionary adaptations of all kinds. -- Heidi M. Ravven, author of The Self Beyond Itself: An Alternative History of Ethics, the New Brain Science, and the Myth of Free WillAn ambitious study of the role of emotion in human cognitive and cultural development…Will likely play a significant role in reshaping scientific and philosophical discussions with respect to mind, emotion, and culture. * Choice *A fresh and compelling take on the affective roots of human rationality, cognition, and judgment-making processes. -- Paul Rezkalla * Quarterly Review of Biology *

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Book SynopsisBlends scientific biography, institutional history, and cultural history to show how genetically standardized mice came to play a central role in contemporary American biomedical research. This work introduces us to mouse "fanciers" who bred mice for different characteristics, and to the structures of modern biomedical research.Trade ReviewOne of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2004 "Extremely well written and enjoyable to read... The study of human diseases using standardized animal models has now become routine practice, but its acceptability was established in large part through the use of inbred mice, as Rader convincingly argues."--Rachel A. Ankeny, American Scientist "A brilliant synthesis of scientific, intellectual, and cultural history. Its subject matter is new, and the book's ultimate impact on scientific history will be significant. The product of ten years of research and writing, the tome is polished, cogent, and magnificently documented."--Choice "Karen Rader has written an insightful and, at times, humorous chronological history of the famous Jax mice and their unflagging promoter, C.C. Little... Rader beautifully illustrates the give and take between the scientific community and the general society."--Biology Digest "In this compelling historical analysis, Karen Rader shows how the common mouse (Mus musculus) was transformed into a commodity, manufactured, and marketed not only to American research laboratories, but to politicians, health policy makers, and the members of the general public as well."--Susan E. Lederer, Journal of the History of Biology "Rader's carefully researched and well-produced book will be indispensable reading for everyone interested in the laboratory mouse and more generally in the tools and practices of twentieth-century biomedicine."--Soraya de Chadarevian,Journal of the History of medicine and Allied SciencesTable of ContentsIllustrations ix Acknowledgments xiii Abbreviations xvii INTRODUCTION: Why Mice? 1 CHAPTER ONE: Mice, Medicine, and Genetics: From Pet Rodents to Research Materials (1900-21) 25 CHAPTER TWO: Experiment and Change: Institutionalizing Inbred Mice (1922-30) 59 CHAPTER THREE: Mice for Sale: Commodifying Research Animals (1930-33) 97 CHAPTER FOUR: A New Deal for Mice: Biomedicine as Big Science (1933-40) 135 CHAPTER FIVE: R X Mouse : JAX Mice in Cancer Research (1938-55) 175 CHAPTER SIX: Mouse Genetics as Public Policy: Radiation Risk in Cold War America (1946-56) 221 EPILOGUE: Animals and the New Biology: Oncomouse and Beyond 251 Bibliography 269 Index 293

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Book SynopsisArgues that post-traumatic stress disorder is a cultural product put together by the practices, technologies, and narratives with which it is diagnosed, studied, and treated and by the various interests, institutions, and moral arguments mobilizing these efforts. This book includes an account of the treatment of Vietnam veterans with PTSD.Trade ReviewWinner of the 1998 Wellcome Medal for Anthropology as Applied to Medical Problems, Royal Anthropological Institute "Allan Young... would disagree with the notion that [PTSD] has always been with us, arguing that the traumatic memory is a man-made object... His book is a lucid case-study of the way medicine and society have managed to build up this man-made disorder over the past century and a half."--Gerald Weissmann, The London Review of Books "Allan Young has written a splendid and much needed book... Young's book is an invaluable contribution to an emerging and exciting area of scholarship. Intellectually bold, analytically rigorous, and rhetorically compelling, The Harmony of Illusions will both delight and provoke--perhaps even infuriate--friends and foes of the PTSD diagnosis."--Eric Caplan, American Journal of Sociology "The well-researched description of the development of the construct of PTSD within American psychiatric circles makes for fascinating reading as the personalities of the players are presented along with their ideas."--William Yule, The Times Higher Education Supplement "An ambitious and richly informative account of the growth and progress of modern psychiatry itself and particularly of the intimate relationship between that discipline and its broader social and political context. As a model study of the construction of mental illness, this book represents a significant contribution to the history of science and medicine."--Philip Jenkins, American Historical Review "A stringent critique of the diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which came into vogue after the Vietnam war... Young's work is scientific in the best sense, i.e., clear, precise, and free of jargon and polemics."--Kirkus Reviews "Young has produced a fascinating book. It is also very timely given current debates, both within and beyond psychotherapy, about trauma, abuse and its recovery."--Janet Sayers, British Journal of PsychotherapyTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction3Pt. IThe Origins of Traumatic Memory1Making Traumatic Memory132World War I43Pt. IIThe Transformation of Traumatic Memory3The DSM-III Revolution894The Architecture of Traumatic Time118Pt. IIIPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Practice5The Technology of Diagnosis1456Everyday Life in a Psychiatric Unit1767Talking about PTSD2248The Biology of Traumatic Memory264Conclusion287Notes291Works Cited299Index321

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Book SynopsisChemists have created superconducting ceramics for brain scanners, designed liquid crystal flat screens for televisions and watch displays, and made fabrics that change color while you wear them. This book lets the lay reader into the world of modern chemistry.Trade ReviewWinner of the 1994 Award for Best Professional/Scholarly Book in Chemistry, Association of American Publishers "In this very readable and enjoyable book, Ball [offers] a whirlwind guided tour through some of the most exciting topics in modern chemistry, molecular physics, and materials science... Lucidly written ... with an acute awareness of recent advances and an excellent understanding of their intrinsic scientific content."--Physics World "A tour de force of popular science writing."--John Postgate, The Times Literary Supplement "This book is like a clean fresh breeze, and puts the image of chemistry back into proper perspective... [It] should be used ... to help convey to students ... enthusiasm for modern research."--Rudolph Fahnenstich, Angewandte Chemie "It covers almost every possible recent development in chemistry in just the right amount of detail... The old disciplines of organic, inorganic and physical chemistry of the stuffy textbooks are ploughed over and a new patchwork of fields created to fill their place."--David Bradley, New ScientistTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroducton: Engineering the Elements3Ch. 1How It All Fits Together: The architecture of molecules13Ch. 2Bringing Down the Barriers: Getting chemical reactions to go54Ch. 3Caught in the Act: Watching atoms dance83Ch. 4Impossible Order: When atoms meet geometry111Ch. 5Perfect Hosts and Welcome Guests: Molecules that recognize each other and build themselves145Ch. 6Metals from Molecules: Electronics goes organic186Ch. 7A Soft and Sticky World: The self-organizing magic of colloid chemistry216Ch. 8Chemical Beginnings: How chemistry came to life259Ch. 9Far from Stable: Fractals, chaos, and complexity in chemistry290Ch. 10Transforming the Globe: The crises of atmospheric chemistry323Bibliography351Index365

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Book SynopsisExamines how advances in philosophy were led by scientific discoveries - the more humankind understood about the physical world, the more curious we became. Drawing on work by Descartes, Galileo, Hume, Kant, Leibniz, and Newton, this book helps readers understand science through the lens of philosophy.Trade Review"The translation has long been out of print, so this recent publication, with a very fine introduction by Frank Wilczek, is to be highly valued... Weyl's Philosophy of Mathematics and Natural Science should be on every mathematician's or physicist's bookshelf... What a pleasure, what a privilege, to read and contemplate Hermann Weyl's monumental achievements."--Jeremy Butterfield, Physics Today "[W]e remain ever grateful that Hermann Weyl, compromising his conscience to the extent that he did, left behind this unrivaled treasure of insights into the murkiest epistemological depths of mathematics and theoretical physics."--Thomas Ryckman, Metascience

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Book SynopsisOffers an examination of Leibniz's deep and complex engagement with the empirical life sciences of his day, in areas as diverse as medicine, physiology, taxonomy, generation theory, and paleontology. This title shows how these wide-ranging pursuits were not only central to Leibniz's philosophical interests.Trade Review"Smith thus offers a broader historical context than the title suggests. But with Divine Machines, Leibniz himself emerges as a fascinating example of the early modern obsession with the grand questions about life, and is for this reason certainly of interest to historians of science and medicine."--Stephanie Eichberg, British Journal for the History of Science "Smith's ... book affords quite a number of innovative analyses and is due to become a landmark of Leibniz studies."--Francois Duchesneau, HOPOS: Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science "Even in the instances where the reader's doubts linger, Smith's scholarship makes a convincing case and one is required to look anew at Leibniz's most well known commitments. For the contributions it makes in our understandings of Leibniz and for the way in which Leibniz is integrated in the emergence of the life sciences, Divine Machines is highly recommended reading."--Lea F. Schweitz, AestimatioTable of ContentsAbbreviations ix Preface xi Introduction 1 Part One: First Things Chapter One: "Que les philosophes medicinassent": Leibniz's Encounter withMedicine and Its Experimental Context 25 Chapter Two: The "Hydraulico-Pneumatico-Pyrotechnical Machine of Quasi-Perpetual Motion": Leibniz on Animal Economy 59 Part Two: From Animal Economyto Subtle Anatomy Chapter Three: Organic Bodies, Part I: Nature and Structure 97 Chapter Four: Organic Bodies, Part II: Context and Legacy 137 Part Three: The Origins of Organic Form Chapter Five:The Divine Preformation of Organic Bodies 165 Chapter Six: Games of Nature, the Emergence of Organic Form, and theProblem of Spontaneity 197 Part Four: Species Chapter Seven: The Nature and Boundaries of Biological Species 235 Appendixes 1.Directions Pertaining to the Institution of Medicine (1671) 275 2.The Animal Machine (1677) 288 3.The Human Body, Like That of Any Animal, Is a Sort of Machine (1680-86) 290 4.On Writing the New Elements of Medicine (1682-83) 297 5.On Botanical Method (1701) 303 Notes 311 Bibliography 357 Index 375

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