Philosophy of science Books

Book SynopsisThis is the first comprehensive book on the philosophy of time. Leading philosophers discuss the metaphysics of time, our experience and representation of time, the role of time in ethics and action, and philosophical issues in the sciences of time, especially quantum mechanics and relativity theory.Table of ContentsI: TIME AND METAPHYSICS; II: THE DIRECTION OF TIME; III: TIME, ETHICS, AND EXPERIENCE; IV: TIME IN CLASSICAL AND RELATIVISTIC PHYSICS; V: TIME IN A QUANTUM WORLD

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Book SynopsisCould a computer have a mind? What kind of machine would this be? Exactly what do we mean by ''mind'' anyway?The notion of the ''intelligent'' machine, whilst continuing to feature in numerous entertaining and frightening fictions, has also been the focus of a serious and dedicated research tradition. Reflecting on these fictions, and on the research tradition that pursues ''Artificial Intelligence'', raises a number of vexing philosophical issues. Minds and Computers introduces readers to these issues by offering an engaging, coherent, and highly approachable interdisciplinary introduction to the Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence.Readers are presented with introductory material from each of the disciplines which constitute Cognitive Science: Philosophy, Neuroscience, Psychology, Computer Science, and Linguistics. Throughout, readers are encouraged to consider the implications of this disparate and wide-ranging material for the possibility of developing machines with minds. And they can expect to deTrade ReviewThis book is an excellent introduction to some of the most important problems within the philosophy of artificial intelligence... Carter's book is in fact highly interdisciplinary, but he has clearly succeeded in integrating some very crucial topics regarding artificial intelligence in a clever and thought-provoking manner... The book will be an excellent choice as a textbook to be used for a university course introducing important and interesting problems within the philosophy of artificial intelligence. History and Philosophy of Logic Like good science fiction, Matt Carter's Minds and Computers essentially constitutes an exploration into what makes human beings what they are... [It] is a teaching tool par excellence and should find its way into every classroom where the philosophy of mind is being studied. Heythrop Journal

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Book SynopsisThe Discourse on the Method for Reasoning Well and for Seeking Truth in the Sciences offers a concise presentation and defense of René Descartes' method of intellectual inquiry - a method that greatly influenced both philosophical and scientific reasoning in the early modern world. Descartes's timeless writing strikes an uncommon balance of novelty and familiarity, offering arguments concerning knowledge, science, and metaphysics (including the famous ""I think, therefore I am"") that are as compelling in the 21st century as they were in the 17th.Ian Johnston's new translation of the original French text is modern, clear, and thoroughly annotated, ideal for readers unfamiliar with Descartes' intellectual context. An approachable introduction engages both the historical and the philosophical aspects of the text, helping the reader to understand the concepts and arguments contained therein.Trade Review“Ian Johnston’s new translation of Descartes’s famous Discourse on Method will stand with the best and most readable translations now available in English. For readers coming to Descartes’s work for the first time, Andrew Bailey’s introduction nicely situates the text both philosophically and historically.”- Kurt Smith, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania“Descartes’s Discourse on Method is incredibly rich: it motivates readers to think critically, it introduces Descartes’s ethics as well as his metaphysics, and it aims to show the power of reasoning well. Ian Johnston’s translation is clear and accessible to students while remaining true to the original text.”- Lisa Shapiro, Simon Fraser UniversityTable of Contents Acknowledgements Introduction Who Was René Descartes? What Was Descartes' Overall Philosophical Project? What Is the Structure of the Discourse? Some Useful Background Information Some Common Misconceptions How Important and Influential Is the Discourse? Suggestions for Critical Reflection Suggestions for Further Reading Discourse on Method Part I Part II Part III Part IV Part V Part VI

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Book SynopsisThe Cavendish Laboratory is arguably the most famous physics laboratory in the world. Founded in 1874, it rapidly gained a leading international reputation through the researches of the Cavendish professors beginning with Maxwell, Rayleigh, J. J. Thomson, Rutherford and Bragg. Its name will always be associated with the discoveries of the electron, the neutron, the structure of the DNA molecule and pulsars, but these are simply the tip of the iceberg of outstanding science. The physics carried out in the laboratory is the central theme of the book and this is explained in reasonably non-technical terms. The research activities are set in their international context. Generously illustrated, with many pictures of the apparatus used and diagrams from the original papers, the story is brought right up to date with descriptions of the science carried out under the leadership of the very different personalities of Mott, Pippard and Edwards.Trade Review'In what is patently a labour of love, the astronomer Malcolm Longair now gives us a comprehensive scientific history of the Cavendish in Maxwell's Enduring Legacy. Longair, who was the lab's head from 1997 to 2005, describes its inception well … Longair's history is in the form of a well-organized modern physics book, most of its twenty-two sections replete with charts, tables and lucid technical explanations presented neatly in boxes. Abundant diagrams, photographs, line drawings, floor-plans and facsimiles of historical documents give fascinating insights into the lab's development.' Graham Farmelo, Nature'… a wonderful exposition of the many contributions made by this renowned institution … written by one of its recent leaders … The author writes with great erudition on the incredible range of essential research projects that were conducted at this famous laboratory. There are helpful notes, indexes, and references.' N. Sadanand, Choice'… any physicist (from within or outside the Laboratory) will surely find a wealth of information of interest.' Guy Pooley, The Observatory'One must say that the Cavendish is extremely fortunate that one of its recent heads has had the vision, energy and talent to meet the formidable challenge of chronicling the evolution of the Cavendish into the world-leading institution … This magnificent book is a fitting tribute to past and present staff and students at the Cavendish. … The focus has naturally been on events in the Cavendish itself. However, the author properly locates those events in the wider international context. Moreover, he is not averse to offering supporting physical explanations, as well as mathematical expositions where appropriate … Having expertly traced the history of the Cavendish - which has required much archival research - the author closes with a survey of the highly diverse activities of today's Cavendish and signals also the future of another re-building of the Cavendish planned for completion in 2020. The legacy of Maxwell would appear to be safe for another 140 years.' K. Alan Shore, Contemporary Physics'Besides the accuracy of the scientific descriptions and the sharpness of the ideas, this book inaugurates a useful compromise that might inspire future science historians … the history of the Cavendish shows that lasting progress can come from diversity of opinion, the inclusiveness of practices and mutual respect between fundamental sciences. How can we sum up the secret of the scientific successes described in this book? A tentative recipe might be unity in necessary things, freedom in doubtful ones and respect for every honest scientific endeavour.' Massimo Giovannini, CERN CourierTable of ContentsPreface; Acknowledgements; Figure credits; Part I. To 1874: 1. Physics in the nineteenth century; 2. Mathematics and physics in Cambridge in the nineteenth century; Part II. 1874 to 1879: 3. The Maxwell era; Part III. 1879 to 1884: 4. Rayleigh's Quinquennium; Part IV. 1884 to 1919: 5. The challenges facing J. J. Thomson; 6. The J. J. Thomson era, 1884–1900 - the electron; 7. The Thomson era, 1900–19 - atomic structure; Part V. 1919 to 1937: 8. Rutherford at McGill and Manchester Universities - new challenges in Cambridge; 9. The Rutherford era - the radioactivists; 10. Rutherford era - the seeds of the new physics; Part VI. 1938 to 1953: 11. Bragg and the war years; 12. Bragg and the post-war years; Part VII. 1953 to 1971: 13. The Mott era - an epoch of expansion; 14. The Mott era - radio astronomy and high energy physics; 15. The Mott era - the growth of condensed matter physics; Part VIII. 1971 to 1982: 16. The Pippard era - a new laboratory and a new vision; 17. The Pippard era - radio astronomy, high energy physics and laboratory astrophysics; 18. The Pippard era - condensed matter physics; Part IX. 1984 to 1995: 19. The Edwards era - a new epoch of expansion; 20. The Edwards era - new directions in condensed matter physics; 21. The Edwards era - high energy physics and radio astronomy; Part X. 1995 to present: 22. Towards the new millennium and beyond; 23. The evolution of the New Museums site; Notes; Bibliography; Author index; Index.

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Book SynopsisWe live in a moment of unprecedented complexity, an era in which change occurs faster than our ability to comprehend it. This books offers a map for the unfamiliar terrain opening in our midst, unfolding an alternative philosophy of our time through a synthesis of science and culture.

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Book SynopsisOne of today''s most controversial and heated issues is whether or not the conflict between science and religion can be reconciled. In Science and Religion: Are They Compatible?, renowned philosophers Daniel C. Dennett and Alvin Plantinga expand upon the arguments that they presented in an exciting live debate held at the 2009 American Philosophical Association Central Division conference. An enlightening discussion that will motivate students to think critically, Science and Religion: Are They Compatible? opens with Plantinga''s assertion that Christianity is compatible with evolutionary theory because Christians believe that God created the living world, and it is entirely possible that God did so by using a process of evolution. Dennett vigorously rejects this argument, provoking a reply from Plantinga, another response from Dennett, and final statements from both sides. As philosophers, the authors possess expert skills in critical analysis; their arguments provide a model of dialTrade Reviewan excellent book which takes two of the top living philosophers going head-to-head over one of the most controversial (hence, interesting) subjects in Western culture. * Jim Slagle, Metascience *an interesting exchange on a very timely topic, and one which gives readers a good illustration of how this debate is often conducted today, especially from the atheistic side. * Brendan Sweetman, Philosophy in Review *Table of Contents1. Science and Religion: Where the Conflict Really Lies ; 2. Truths that Miss their Mark: Naturalism Unscathed ; 3. Reply to Dennett ; 4. Habits of Imagination and their Effect on Incredulity ; 5. Final Statement ; 6. No Miracles Needed

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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 SynopsisPaul Feyerabend's globally acclaimed work, which sparked and continues to stimulate fierce debate, examines the deficiencies of many widespread ideas about scientific progress and the nature of knowledge. Feyerabend argues that scientific advances can only be understood in a historical context. He looks at the way the philosophy of science has consistently overemphasized practice over method, and considers the possibility that anarchism could replace rationalism in the theory of knowledge.This updated edition of the classic text includes a new introduction by Ian Hacking, one of the most important contemporary philosophers of science. Hacking reflects on both Feyerabend's life and personality as well as the broader significance of the book for current discussions.Trade ReviewA devastating attack on the claims of philosophy to legislate for scientific practice. * New Society *A brilliant polemic. * New Scientist *Since it was first published in 1975, Against Method has followed Popper's The Logic of Scientific Discovery and Kuhn's The Structure of Scientific Revolutions into becoming a classic text in the debate about scientific methodology and scientific reasoning. * The Philosopher *A powerful critique. * London Review of Books *Against Method is more than a book: it is an event. * Archives de Philosophie *

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Book SynopsisWhat is consciousness? How does the subjective character of consciousness fit into an objective world? How can there be a science of consciousness? In this sequel to his groundbreaking and controversial The Conscious Mind, David Chalmers develops a unified framework that addresses these questions and many others. Starting with a statement of the hard problem of consciousness, Chalmers builds a positive framework for the science of consciousness and a nonreductive vision of the metaphysics of consciousness. He replies to many critics of The Conscious Mind, and then develops a positive theory in new directions. The book includes original accounts of how we think and know about consciousness, of the unity of consciousness, and of how consciousness relates to the external world. Along the way, Chalmers develops many provocative ideas: the consciousness meter, the Garden of Eden as a model of perceptual experience, and The Matrix as a guide to the deepest philosophical problems about consciousness and the external world. This book will be required reading for anyone interested in the problems of mind, brain, consciousness, and reality.Trade Reviewthe papers collected here exemplify all the virtues that we have come to expect from Chalmerss work ... Throughout, he is strikingly resourceful in articulating and defending his views. * Stephan Leuenberger, Australasian Journal of Philosophy *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION; ACKNOWLEDGMENTS; AFTERWORD: FROM "MOVING FORWARD ON THE PROBLEM OF CONSCIOUSNESS"; AFTERWORD: FIRST-PERSON DATA AND FIRST-PERSON SCIENCE; AFTERWORD: OTHER ANTI-MATERIALIST ARGUMENTS; AFTERWORD: THE TWO-DIMENSIONAL CONTENTS OF PERCEPTION; AFTERWORD: PHILOSOPHICAL NOTES; APPENDIX: TWO-DIMENSIONAL SEMANTICS

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Book SynopsisAttempts to give a systematic presentation of both logic and type theory from a categorical perspective, using the unifying concept of fibred category. This book is useful for logicians, type theorists, category theorists and (theoretical) computer scientists.Trade Review"The author's achievement in collecting and organizing a very large body of material in coherent form,... this is first and foremost an encyclopaedic work, into which specialists will delve with much pleasure and profit... One very welcome feature of the book is a comprehensive bibliography of nearly 350 items..." --Zentralblatt für Mathematik, vol.905R.A.G. Seely"This book will be the standard reference in its field for some time to come." --The Bulletin of Symbolic Logic, Vol. 6Table of ContentsChapter Headings only. Preface. Contents. Preliminaries. Prospectus. Introduction to fibred category theory. Simple type theory. Equational logic. First order predicate logic. Higher order predicate logic. The effective topos. Internal category theory. Polymorphic type theory. Advanced fibred category theory. First order dependent type theory. Higher order dependent type theory. References. Notation index. Subject index.

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Book SynopsisContinental Philosophy of Science provides an expert guide to the major twentieth--century French and German philosophical thinking on science. * A comprehensive introduction by the editor provides a unified interpretative survey of continental work on philosophy of science.Trade Review“Continental philosophers in Britain and the United States have for the most part ignored the enormous contribution of continental philosophy to the philosophy of science, just as philosophers of science in Britain and the United States have done. Gary Gutting has long been a leading exponent of the importance of this contribution and his superb collection, with its many new translations, should go a long way toward turning the tide.” Robert Bernasconi, University of Memphis “This masterful collection of original texts and expert commentary demonstrates Continental philosophers’ rich and diverse engagement with science, dispelling the notion that significant philosophical thinking about science is the sole prerogative of ‘analytic’ philosophers.” Daniel Dahlstrom, Boston University “This book makes a welcome contribution to the secondary literature on the history and philosophy of modern science. Gary Gutting has assembled an impressive gallery of essays, which collectively advance a powerful, if relatively neglected, interpretation of the development of scientific method and practice. The pairing of influential historical figures with leading contemporary commentators is especially valuable.” Daniel W. Conway, The Pennsylvania State UniversityTable of ContentsNotes on Contributors vii Acknowledgments xi Introduction: What Is Continental Philosophy of Science 1Gary Gutting Hegel 17 1 Speculative Naturphilosophie and the Development of the Empirical Sciences: Hegel’s Perspective 19Terry Pinkard 2 Naturphilosophie 35G W F Hegel Bergson 41 3 Bergson’s spiritualist metaphysics and the sciences 43Jean Gayon 4 Psycho-physical parallelism and positive metaphysics 59Henri Bergson Cassirer 69 5 Ernst Cassirer and the Philosophy of Science 71Michael Friedman 6 From Substance and Function 84Ernst Cassirer Husserl 91 7 Science as a Triumph of the Human Spirit and Science in Crisis: Husserl and the Fortunes of Reason 93Richard Tieszen 8 From the Introduction to the Logical Investigations and from The Crisis of the European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology 113Edmund Husserl Heidegger 121 9 Heidegger on Science and Naturalism 123Joseph Rouse 10 From On “Time and Being” 142Martin Heidegger Bachelard 155 11 Technology, Science, and Inexact Knowledge: Bachelard’s Non-Cartesian Epistemology 157Mary Tiles 12 From Essai sur la connaissance approchée 176Gaston Bachelard Canguilhem 185 13 Reassessing the Historical Epistemology of Georges Canguilhem 187Hans-Jörg Rheinberger 14 The Object of the History of Sciences 198 Georges Canguilhem Foucault 209 15 Foucault’s Philosophy of Science: Structures of Truth/Structures of Power 211Linda Martín Alcoff 16 From The History of Sexuality, vol. I: An Introduction 224Michel Foucault Deleuze 237 17 Gilles Deleuze, Difference, and Science 239Todd May 18 From What Is Philosophy 258Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari Irigarary 263 19 On Asking the Wrong Question "In Science, Is the Subject Sexed?" 265Penelope Deutscher 20 In Science, Is the Subject Sexed 283Luce Irigaray Habermas 293 21 Bisected Rationality: The Frankfurt School’s Critique of Science 295Axel Honneth 22 Knowledge and Human Interest: A General Perspective 310Jürgen Habermas Index 322

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Book SynopsisZoo Ethics examines the workings of modern zoos and considers the core ethical challenges faced by people who choose to hold and display animals in zoos, aquariums, or sanctuaries. Jenny Gray asserts the value of animal life and assesses the impacts of modern zoos, including the costs to animals in terms of welfare and the loss of liberty. Gray...Trade ReviewThis text is a meticulous examination of ethical considerations pertaining to zoos and their practices.... The book considers a range of ethical issues, including animal welfare, animal rights, consequentialism, virtue theory, and environmental ethics of the conservation of species. Gray thoughtfully considers these topics in the context of the history of zoos' treatment of animals, both as trained spectacles and in terms of housing.... Overall, this is a provocative, educational resource for students and professionals alike. * Choice *An exercise in applied ethics, bringing together ethical frameworks with real information about the ways zoos are run, and their positive and negative impacts.... This book succeeds in giving a sense of the depth of the problem of defining and operating an ethical zoo, and as the author concludes: "It is possible for zoos to be operated ethically. Yet it is not easy" (p. 208). * Quarterly Review of Biology *Zoo ethics is best suited to those with an interest in animal welfare and ethics, zoo and wildlife medicine and anyone who feels 'moral disquiet' about zoos. Calling on zoo professionals to rise to the challenge of transforming zoos using compassionate conservation, Gray recognises that many zoos cannot continue to ignore the needs of their animals. This book is a thoughtprovoking addition to the field of animal and zoo ethics. * Australian Veterinary Journal *I very much appreciate the quality of thought and nuance the author brings to this book, and I am recommending it because it is a superior example of a book on the modern-day ethics of human uses of animals. * Science Scope *Dr. Gray writes with clear vision of the future roles of zoos as hubs of local and international conservation, teachers of environmental responsibility, and world-class animal care and welfare. It is clear from her writing she will bring the same vision and expectation of excellence into her role as the president of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. This book is a valuable resource for zoo professionals, providing insight into how zoos can stay relevant in the 21st century. It is also a useful background for members of the public who are interested in the inner workings of zoos, or anyone interested in ethical considerations of working with animals. * Zoo Biology *Table of ContentsForeword Photo Ark Preface Acknowledgements Introduction – of beetles, people and zoos Terminology 1. Introduction to applied ethics and zoos 2. The modern zoo 3. The moral disquiet with zoos 4. Animal welfare 5. Animal rights beyond welfare 6. Consequentialism 7. Virtue theory 8. Environmental ethics 9. Conclusion Wicked problems Further reading 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 SynopsisThis book gives concise, accurate and illuminating accounts of key positions, concepts, arguments and figures in the philosophy of science. It aids understanding of current debates, explains their historical development and connects them with broader philosophical issues.

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the birth of the scientific understanding of motion. It investigates which logical tools and methodological principles had to be in place to give a consistent account of motion, and which mathematical notions were introduced to gain control over conceptual problems of motion. It shows how the idea of motion raised two fundamental problems in the 5th and 4th century BCE: bringing together being and non-being, and bringing together time and space. The first problem leads to the exclusion of motion from the realm of rational investigation in Parmenides, the second to Zeno''s paradoxes of motion. Methodological and logical developments reacting to these puzzles are shown to be present implicitly in the atomists, and explicitly in Plato who also employs mathematical structures to make motion intelligible. With Aristotle we finally see the first outline of the fundamental framework with which we conceptualise motion today.Trade Review"Barbara Sattler's book is engaging, sophisticated and full of stimulating ideas. It traces the development of crucial presuppositions of natural science from their earliest roots in Parmenides to their fruition in Aristotle. The perspective and expertise which Sattler brings to these issues will be of great interest and value to those working in ancient philosophy or in the history of science.” Stephen Makin, University of Sheffield'… a thoughtful and probing book by an original thinker. Sattler's understanding of foundational issues in mathematics is put to fine use, and she does important conceptual work … There is much of great value in this book …' Sylvia Berryman, Journal of the History of PhilosophyTable of ContentsIntroduction; 1. Conceptual Foundations; 2. Parmenides's account of the object of philosophy; 3. Zeno's Paradoxes of Motion and Plurality; 4. The atomistic foundation for an account of motion; 5. The Possibility of Natural Philosophy according to Plato I: The Logical Basis; 6. The Possibility of Natural Philosophy according to Plato II: Mathematical Advances and Ultimate Problems; 7. Aristotle's Notion of Continuity – the Structure underlying Motion; 8. Time and Space – the Implicit Measure of Motion in Aristotle's Physics; 9. Time as the simple measure of motion.

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Book SynopsisInterdisciplinarity is an inflationary concept in the discourses of higher education and science policy. Yet, some recent structural reforms in European and US universities reflect fundamental changes in the organization of knowledge production and teaching. This publication takes a fresh look at the meaning given to the concept of interdisciplinarity with these reforms. It presents examples of different forms of interdisciplinary research and teaching. These case studies are put in the broader context of reflections on developments in the organization of universities and their implications for knowledge production.

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Book SynopsisFritjof Capra and Ugo Mattei argue that at the root of many of the environmental, economic, and social crises we face today is a legal system based on an obsolete worldview. Capra, a bestselling author, physicist, and systems theorist, and Mattei, a distinguished legal scholar, explain how, by incorporating concepts from modern science, the law can become an integral part of bringing about a better world, rather than facilitating its destruction.This is the first book to trace the fascinating parallel history of law and science from antiquity to modern times, showing how the two disciplines have always influenced each other - until recently. In the past few decades, science has shifted from seeing the natural world as a kind of cosmic machine best understood by analyzing each cog and sprocket to a systems perspective that views the world as a vast network of fluid communities and studies their dynamic interactions. The concept of ecology exemplifies this approach. But law is stuck in the old mechanistic paradigm: the world is simply a collection of discrete parts, and ownership of these parts is an individual right, protected by the state. Capra and Mattei show that this has led to overconsumption, pollution, and a general disregard on the part of the powerful for the common good.Capra and Mattei outline the basic concepts and structures of a legal order consistent with the ecological principles that sustain life on this planet. This is a profound and visionary reconceptualization of the very foundations of the Western legal system, a kind of Copernican revolution in the law, with profound implications for the future of our planet.

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Book SynopsisAfter the development of manifolds and algebraic varieties in the previous century, mathematicians and physicists have continued to advance concepts of space. This book and its companion explore various new notions of space, including both formal and conceptual points of view, as presented by leading experts at the New Spaces in Mathematics and Physics workshop held at the Institut Henri Poincaré in 2015. The chapters in this volume cover a broad range of topics in mathematics, including diffeologies, synthetic differential geometry, microlocal analysis, topos theory, infinity-groupoids, homotopy type theory, category-theoretic methods in geometry, stacks, derived geometry, and noncommutative geometry. It is addressed primarily to mathematicians and mathematical physicists, but also to historians and philosophers of these disciplines.Trade Review'The essays are self-contained, providing motivation to read selectively. Examples in each chapter illustrate the usefulness of these new notions of space … Recommended.' M. Clay, Choice MagazineTable of ContentsIntroduction Mathieu Anel and Gabriel Catren; Part I. Differential geometry: 1. An Introduction to diffeology Patrick Iglesias-Zemmour; 2. New methods for old spaces: synthetic differential geometry Anders Kock; 3. Microlocal analysis and beyond Pierre Schapira; Part II. Topology and algebraic topology: 4. Topo-logie Mathieu Anel and André Joyal; 5. Spaces as infinity-groupoids Timothy Porter; 6. Homotopy type theory: the logic of space Michael Shulman; Part III. Algebraic geometry: 7. Sheaves and functors of points Michel Vaquié; 8. Stacks Nicole Mestrano and Carlos Simpson; 9. The geometry of ambiguity: an introduction to the ideas of derived geometry Mathieu Anel; 10. Geometry in dg categories Maxim Kontsevich.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Tano S. Posteraro focuses on Bergson's theory of evolution. He presents an alternative Bergson: not a phenomenologist whose central datum is the conscious experience of lived time or the lived body in time, but a systematic philosopher of biology with a robust, prescient and largely workable evolutionary programme.

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Book SynopsisVaclav Smil is my favorite author… Numbers Don't Lie takes everything that makes his writing great and boils it down into an easy-to-read format. I unabashedly recommend this book to anyone who loves learning.--Bill Gates, GatesNotesFrom the author of How the World Really Works, an essential guide to understanding how numbers reveal the true state of our world--exploring a wide range of topics including energy, the environment, technology, transportation, and food production.Vaclav Smil's mission is to make facts matter. An environmental scientist, policy analyst, and a hugely prolific author, he is Bill Gates' go-to guy for making sense of our world. In Numbers Don't Lie, Smil answers questions such as: What's worse for the environment--your car or your phone? How much do the world's cows weigh (and what does it matter)? And what makes people happy? From data about our societies and populations, through measures of the

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Book SynopsisAs a growing area of research, the philosophy of time is increasingly relevant to different areas of philosophy and even other disciplines. This book describes and evaluates the most important debates in philosophy of time, under several subject areas: metaphysics, epistemology, physics, philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, cognitive science, rationality, and art.Questions this book investigates include the following. Can we know what time really is? Is time possible, especially given modern physics? Must there be time because we cannot think without it? What do we experience of time? How might philosophy of time be relevant to understanding the mindbody relationship or evidence in cognitive science? Can the philosophy of time help us understand biases toward the future and the fear of death? How is time relevant to artand is art relevant to philosophical debates about time? Finally, what exactly could time travel be? And could time travel satisfy emotions Table of ContentsPreface 1. Epistemology of Time 2. Metaphysics of Time I: Time and Change 3. Metaphysics of Time II: Change and Persistence in Objects 4. Philosophy of Physics 5. Philosophy of Language and Time 6. Philosophy of Mind and Time 7. Philosophy of Cognitive Science and Time 8. Rationality of Time 9. The Philosophy of Art and Time 10. Philosophy of Time Travel

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Book SynopsisA classic of phenomenology and existentialism, The Phenomenon of Life sets forth a systematic and comprehensive philosophy. Hans Jonas shows how life-forms present themselves on an ascending scale of perception and freedom of action, a scale reaching its apex in a human being's capacity for thought and morally responsible behaviour.

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Book SynopsisThe large-scale structure of the Universe is dominated by vast voids with galaxies clustered in knots, sheets, and filaments, forming a great ''cosmic web''. In this personal account of the major astronomical developments leading to this discovery, we learn from Laird A. Thompson, a key protagonist, how the first 3D maps of galaxies were created. Using non-mathematical language, he introduces the standard model of cosmology before explaining how and why ideas about cosmic voids evolved, referencing the original maps, reproduced here. His account tells of the competing teams of observers, racing to publish their results, the theorists trying to build or update their models to explain them, and the subsequent large-scale survey efforts that continue to the present day. This is a well-documented account of the birth of a major pillar of modern cosmology, and a useful case study of the trials surrounding how this scientific discovery became accepted.Trade Review'… a very readable book, and I recommend it to anyone who wants to know about the universe at large scales.' Ingemar Bengtsson, Contemporary Physics'Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates. Graduate students, faculty, and professionals.' S. P. Maran, ChoiceTable of ContentsForeword; Preface; List of Abbreviations; 1. Understanding the Foundations of Modern Cosmology; 2. Preview of the Discovery of Cosmic Voids; 3. Homogeneity of the Universe: Great Minds Speak Out; 4. All-Sky Surveys in the Transition Years 1950–1975; 5. The Early Redshift Surveys from Arizona Observatories; 6. Galaxy Mapping Attempt at Tartu Observatory; 7. Theoretical Models of Galaxy Formation: East versus West; 8. Priority Disputes and the Timeline of Publications; 9. Impact of Cosmic Voids: Cosmology, Gravity at the Weak Limit, and Galaxy Formation; Appendix A. KPNO Observing Proposal; Appendix B. Gregory and Thompson (1978) reprint; References; Index.

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Book SynopsisAccording to Michel Serres, a process of ''hominescence'' has taken place throughout human history. Hominescence can be described as a type of adolescence; humanity in a state of growing, a state of constant change, on the threshold of something unpredictable. We are destined never to be the same again but what does the future hold? In this innovative and passionately original work of philosophy, Serres describes the future of man as an adolescence, transitioning from childhood to adulthood, or luminescence, when a dark body becomes light. After considering the radical changes that humanity has experienced over the last fifty years, Serres analyzes the new relationship that man has with diverse concepts, like the dead, his own body, agriculture, and new communication networks. He alerts us to the consequences of these changes, particularly on the danger of growing inequalities between rich and poor countries. Should we rejoice in the future, ignore it, or even dread it? Unlike otherTrade ReviewThis fascinating text will interest readers across the entire spectrum of scholarship and human endeavor. Summing Up: Essential. All readers. * CHOICE *Produced in certain collectivities, in the course of their history, by their sciences and their technologies, in their economy and their politics, these ruptures affect, beneath these cultural components, the ‘nature’ of humans and of the world. That is why I call such ruptures hominescent. This study provides a powerful, innovative analysis of a new form of being human, ‘hominescence’. In the three domains, corporeal, worldly and in relation to other kinds of otherness, Michel Serres pursues enquiries begun over forty year ago, in his innovative reading of the system of Gottfried Leibniz. These enquiries gain from their expansion into the current context of digital tele-communications, and the internet of things, transgenic modifications and the resulting new ontologies of large numbers and quasi objects. -- Joanna Hodge, Professor of Philosophy, Manchester Metropolitan University, UKHominescence is Michel Serres’s best book – a profound mediation on the prodigious transformations the human species has faced in the past fifty years, which have altered our relation to death, to our bodies, our technologies, our planet, and even to thought itself. -- Daniel W. Smith, Professor of Philosophy, Purdue University, USAIn Hominescence, Michel Serres draws together themes which span decades of his work to illuminate the critical moment of human history where we cease to be natured and become forces of naturing. He offers a bold vision of the renewed relationship between the sciences and humanities to think beyond the crisis. -- Steven D. Brown, Professor of Social and Organizational Psychology, The Open University, UK * 20/02/2019 *Table of ContentsDeaths The Body How Our Body Changed The First Loop of Hominescence Three Global Houses The Greatest Contemporary Discovery Ego: Who Signs These Pages? The World The Greatest Contemporary Event Ancient and New Common Houses The Evolutionary House The Second Loop of Hominescence Who, ego? The Others The Event of Communication Contemporary Humanity The End of Networks: the Universal House The Third Loop of Hominescence The Others and the Death of the Ego Peace

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Book SynopsisDiscusses symmetry and asymmetry in contemporary physics and tells the story of how contemporary theoretical physicists are following Einstein in their search for the beauty and simplicity of nature.Trade Review"Zee's exposition of the intuitive use by modern theoretical physicists of the concept of symmetry ... in order to fathom nature's laws is superb scientific reading."--Publishers Weekly "[Zee] demonstrates effortless competence over a wide area of theoretical physics. He also displays great enthusiasm and excitement for his subject, which many readers will find infectious."--James W. McAllister, ISIS, A Journal of the History of Science SocietyTable of ContentsForeword xi Preface 1999 xv Preface xvii acknowledgements xix I Symmetry and Design 1 1. In Search of Beauty 3 2. Symmetry and Simplicity 8 3. The Far Side of the Mirror 22 II Einstein's Legacy, 49 4. Marriage of Time and Space 51 5. A Happy Thought 76 6. Symmetry Dictates Design 95 III Into The Limelight 101 7. Where the action is not 103 8. The lady and the Tyger 113 9. Learning to Read the Great Book 122 10. Symmetry Triumphs 133 IV To Know His Thoughts 151 11. The Eightfold Path in the Forest of the Night 153 12. The Revenge of Art 185 13. The Ultimate Design Problem 210 14. The Unity of Forces 228 15. The Rise of Hubris 255 16. The Mind of the Creator 275 Afterword 285 Appendix to Chapter 9 297 Appendix to the Afterword 301 Notes 321 Index 345

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Book SynopsisThe fullest expression of the distinguished French philosopher''s ideas about the meaning of life. In propounding his distinctive theory of evolution, Bergson considers nature and intelligence, examines mechanisms of thought and illusion, and presents a criticism of philosophical systems from those of the ancients to those of his 19th-century contemporaries.

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Book SynopsisMany scientists and scientifically-minded commentators are skeptical that free will exists. In clear, scientifically rigorous terms, Christian List explains that free will is like other real phenomena that emerge from physical processes but are autonomous from them—like an ecosystem or the economy—and are indispensable for explaining our world.Trade ReviewIn Why Free Will Is Real, List does as advertised, advancing a novel, intriguing view of free will and making a thoughtful case for the thesis that free will, as he conceives of it, is real. This book is a pleasure to read. -- Alfred Mele, Florida State UniversityAn original and challenging new contribution to contemporary debates about free will. After making a compelling case for the irreducibility of different explanatory levels of reality, Christian List argues that free will requires indeterminism at the psychological level of explanation, but not at the physical level, where it is compatible with determinism. His arguments in support of these claims address a host of potential objections and include insightful appeals to new developments in the logic of agency and branching time, among other novel arguments. -- Robert H. Kane, The University of Texas at AustinMany philosophers have suggested that we may be causally determined at the neurophysiological level, but not at the psychological. List is the first to work out a detailed proposal of how this might work, and of how it can underpin an account of free will. Developing ideas from theories of causation and of counterfactuals, it provides an incisive and accessible introduction to contemporary thinking about how we might be free in a causally-determined world. -- Richard Holton, University of CambridgeAccessible, clear and convincing…List’s carefully crafted argument may help many of us sleep more soundly, being further assured that we can choose how to live our own lives. -- Ellie Lasater-Guttman * LSE Review of Books *List argues that free will is not explained away through science by looking at the activity in our brain…A wonderful defense of free will accessibly written for readers new to the topic. * Library Journal *Well argued and admirably sets out the challenges to free will that, when coupled with its clarity, make it an excellent gateway into the contemporary free will debate. -- Logan B. Weir * Review of Metaphysics *A fresh defense of the existence of free will against those of its skeptics who claim that free will has no place within a scientifically respectable worldview…There’s much to admire and recommend in List’s book. It’s pithy, clear, and well-organized while managing to provide highly original and thought-provoking arguments. -- James Goodrich * Journal of Moral Philosophy *Highly original…List defends the claim that we have libertarian free will in a new and important way. -- Derk Pereboom * Criminal Law and Philosophy *

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Book SynopsisPresents an integrated view of evolution as a dynamic process, based on the author's lifetime of biological research.Trade Review'This remarkable, exquisitely illustrated study of the plant and animals worlds contains many fascinating bits of information … But the book is not just a catalogue of interesting facts. It is an invitation to view the world of nature -- plants, animals, and the human being -- in a new way. Metamorphosis is an engaging, thought-provoking synthesis of science, art, and philosophy that will appeal to any reader of high school age and above -- student, teacher, parent, scientist, artist -- anyone with an interest in the world in which we live … Metamorphosis is a challenging book … for all enquiring minds, the book is a valuable scientific and artistic resource and an invitation to a new level of respect and love for and wonder at the world of nature.'-- Ronald Koetzsch, Renewal: A Journal for Waldorf Education, Spring/Summer 2010'Metamorphosis is a truly exceptional and beautiful book which imparts extraordinary insight into the mysterious but highly ordered processes of evolution.'-- Martin Lockley, Scientific and Medical Network Review, Summer 2010'It would be impossible to convey the immense richness of Suchantke’s book in the few pages of a review … Metamorphosis will undoubtedly be both a comfort and a challenge to students of anthroposophy, and may well be a source of inspiration to people who have never heard of Rudolf Steiner.'-- Science Group of the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain NewsletterTable of ContentsAbout the Author and this BookForewordIntroduction: Metamorphosis--Evolution in Action1. Archetype and Evolution--a Contradiction? Understanding2. An Example of Metamorphosis: Goethe's Idea of the Vertebral Nature of the Cranial Bones3. "From top to bottom the plant is all leaf." Formative Tendencies in the Domain of the LeafEverything is Leaf?Metamorphosis in the Evolution of a Family of Plants:the Pathway of the Cacti from the Forest to the Desert and back againThe "Primal Leaf": the Ocean's Green CarpetThe Leaf-form--Outcome of a Dialogue between Earth and Cosmos4. The BlossomThe Polarity of Leaf and FlowerFlower ColorThe Morphic Field of the Blossom5. Interim Summary: Metamorphoses--the Key to Understanding the Nature of Life6. The Various Forms of Metamorphosis in the Plant KingdomMetamorphosis and JuvenilizationThe Development of the Leaf through the Ages of the EarthEvolutionary CountermovementsPinnacles of Plant Evolution: Orchids and Grasses"Reproduction" and "Nutritive Multiplication"7. Polarity and Threefold Organization: The Dynamics of Metamorphosis8. Polarity and Threefold Structure in the Animal KingdomThe MammalsAn Interim Note on MethodThe BirdsThe InsectsInsects in generalButterfliesBeetlesThe middle group of insects9. The Archetype in Action--Metamorphosis and Threefold Structure in the Evolution of the AnimalVacillation between the Inner and the OuterStages of InternalizationFrom Exoskeleton to EndoskeletonSummaryLatimeria and the crossed alternation gaitThe Formation of the Endoskeleton and the LimbsConfirmation of Statements made by Rudolf Steineron the Head and Limb Formation in Human Beings,and on the Question of how to Present this as a Teacher10. The All-pervasive EndoskeletonThe Exoskeleton and the Endoskeleton in CoelenteratesMolluscs and their Skeletons11. The Fate of Exoskeleton and Endoskeleton in the Further Course of EvolutionLife between Levity and Gravity"Limbs" of the Head: Horns and AntlersThe Separating out of the Bodily Systems--The Embodiment of the Archetype in the Human BeingNotes and ReferencesBibliography

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Book SynopsisThe new mechanistic philosophy is divided into two largely disconnected projects. One deals with a metaphysical inquiry into how mechanisms relate to issues such as causation, capacities and levels of organization, while the other deals with epistemic issues related to the discovery of mechanisms and the intelligibility of mechanistic representations. Tudor Baetu explores and explains these projects, and shows how the gap between them can be bridged. His proposed account is compatible both with the assumptions and practices of experimental design in biological research, and with scientifically accepted interpretations of experimental results.Trade Review'… philosophers will find a novel experimental perspective to add to the repertoire of characterizations of phenomena and mechanism. The book ends with a helpful recapitulation of the main points.' Lindley Darden, The Quarterly Review of BiologyTable of Contents1. Mechanisms and their discovery; 2. What is a phenomenon?; 3. How do mechanisms and phenomena relate to one another?; 4. What is the physical nature of biological mechanisms?; A recapitulation and some clarifications.

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Book SynopsisFirst and only undergraduate textbook that addresses the social and ethical issues associated with a wide array of emerging technologies, including genetic modification, human enhancement, geoengineering, robotics, virtual reality, artificial meat, neurotechnologies, information technologies, nanotechnology, sex selection, and more.Trade Review“Sandler’s book Ethics and Emerging Technologies offers an overview of the topic and gathers contributions from philosophers, ethicists, and policy scholars in an attempt to help students develop linguistic, conceptual, critical, and perspectival resources which will enable them to think carefully about the ethics of new technologies. … For those who have been focusing on nanoethics, this book is thus a suitable starting point for an exploration or comparison of key ethical issues relating to different types of technology domains.” (Laura Yenisa Cabrera Trujillo, Nanoethics, Vol. 9, 2015)Table of ContentsPreface Structure and User's Guide Acknowledgments Introduction PART I: GENERAL REFLECTION ON ETHICS AND TECHNOLOGY 1. Section Overview 2. Technology: Practice and Culture; A. Pacey 3. Technology and Responsibility: Reflections on the New Tasks of Ethics; H. Jonas 4. Technologies as Forms of Life; L. Winner PART II: REPRODUCTIVE TECHNOLOGIES 5. Section Overview 6. Reproductive Technologies: Ethical Debates; L. Frith 7. Preventing a Brave New World; L. Kass 8. The Ethics of Sex Selection; I. de Melo-Martin 9. Selecting Children: The Ethics of Reproductive Genetic Engineering; M. Liao PART III: BIOMEDICAL AND THERAPEUTIC TECHNOLOGIES 10. Section Overview 11. Ethical Issues in Human Stem Cell Research; I. de Melo-Martin and M. Gillis 12. Crossing Species Boundaries; J. Robert and F. Baylis 13. The Coming Era of Nanomedicine; F. Allhoff 14. Psychopharmacology and Functional Neurosurgery: Manipulating Memory, Thought, and Mood; W. Glannon 15. Incentivizing Access and Innovation for Essential Medicines: A Survey of the Problem and Proposed Solutions; M. Ravvin PART IV: HUMAN ENHANCEMENT TECHNOLOGIES 16. Section Overview 17. Beyond Therapy; United States President's Council on Bioethics 18. Why I Want to be a Posthuman When I Grow Up; N. Bostrom 19. Moral Enhancement; T. Douglas 20. Enhancing Justice; T. Garcia and R. Sandler PART V: INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY 21. Section Overview 22. Bigger Monster, Weaker Chains: The Growth of An American Surveillance Society; J. Stanley and B. Steinhardt 23. Nanotechnology and Privacy: The Instructive Case of RFID; J. Van den Hoven 24. Intellectual Property: Legal and Moral Challenges of Online File Sharing; R. Spinello 25. Virtual Reality and Computer Simulation; P. Brey 26. The Digital Divide; K. Himma and Maria Bottis PART VI: ROBOTICS AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 27. Section Overview 28. Ethics, War, and Robots; P. Lin, K. Abney and G. Bekey 29. Ethics, Law, and Governance in the Development of Robots; W. Wallach 30. What to do About Artificial Consciousness; J. Basl 31. The Singularity is Near; R. Kurzweil PART VII: ENVIRONMENT AND TECHNOLOGY 32. Section Overview 33. Risk, Precaution, and Nanotechnology; K. Elliott 34. Avoiding Catastrophic Climate Change: Why Technological Innovation is Necessary but Not Sufficient; P. Cafaro 35. Ethical Anxieties about Geoengineering; C. Hamilton 36. Ecosystems Unbound: Ethical Questions for an Interventionist Ecology; B. Minteer and J. Collins PART VIII: AGRICULTURAL TECHNOLOGY 37. Section Overview 38. Ethics and Genetically Modified Foods; G. Comstock 39. Women and the Gendered Politics of Food; V. Shiva 40. The Ethics of Agricultural Animal Biotechnology; R. Streiffer and J. Basl 41. Artificial Meat; P. Thompson PART IX: SYNTHETIC GENOMICS AND ARTIFICIAL LIFE 42. Section Overview 43. Synthetic Biology, Biosecurity, and Biosafety; M. Garfinkle and L. Knowles 44. Evolution and the Deep Past: Intrinsic Responses to Synthetic Biology; C. Preston 45. Social and Ethical Implications of Creating Artificial Cells; M.A. Bedau and M. Triant Index

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Book SynopsisA balanced and thought-provoking guide to all the big questions about AI and ethics Can computers understand morality? Can they respect privacy? And what can we do to make AI safe and fair? The artificial intelligence revolution has begun. Today, there are self-driving cars on our streets, autonomous weapons in our armies, robot surgeons in our hospitals and AI''s presence in our lives will only increase. Some see this as the dawn of a new era in innovation and ease; others are alarmed by its destructive potential. But one thing is clear: this is a technology like no other, one that raises profound questions about the very definitions of human intelligence and morality. In Moral AI, world-renowned researchers in moral psychology, philosophy, and artificial intelligence Jana Schaich Borg, Walter Sinnott-Armstrong and Vincent Conitzer tackle these thorny issues head-on. Writing lucidly and calmly, they lay out the recent advances in this still nascent field, peeling away the exaggeration and misleading arguments. Instead, they offer clear examinations of the moral concerns at the heart of AI programs, from racial equity to personal privacy, fake news to autonomous weaponry. Ultimately, they argue that artificial intelligence can be built and used safely and ethically, but that its potential cannot be achieved without careful reflection on the values we wish to imbue it with. This is an essential primer for any thinking person.Trade ReviewA philosopher, data scientist and computer scientist tackle the key ethical challenges of AI: safety, privacy, fairness, responsibility and how to inject human morality into AI. Practical and peppered with lively examples. This is a must-have as AI fundamentally changes all of our lives. Balanced, thoughtful and engaging -- Julian SavulescuCan we build and use AI ethically? I believe this book gives the best answer to this question: yes, but it is up to us, so we all have to make an effort. If you want to understand the impact of AI on our lives, and how to make it a positive one, you need to read it -- Francesca RossiTaking on the challenge of AI calls for perspectives grounded in multiple areas of expertise, and that is what Moral AI provides. . . A judicious and deeply-informed guide -- Peter RailtonMoral AI is a gracefully written and balanced book which should be required reading for all humans and generations of ChatGPTs. Written by an exceptional interdisciplinary team, it eschews hyperbole and brings what the Greeks would call phronesis - or practical wisdom - to the modern challenge of artificial intelligence -- Joseph J. FinsThe authors blend their expertise from diverse fields to provide fresh insights and feasible suggestions for balancing AI advancement with ethical considerations. The book is a timely and significant contribution, particularly relevant now. It serves as a guiding light, both for those who are getting started on the journey, and for those who are looking for a fresh perspective -- Abhishek Gupta

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Book SynopsisFrom the 2021 Nobel Prize winner in Physics, a remarkable journey into the practice of groundbreaking science ''Giorgio Parisi is renowned for his scientific creativity, originality, and power. In this exhilarating little book, he shows his human side, too. By its end, readers will feel they''ve made a charming, witty new friend'' Frank WilczekThe world is shaped by complexity. In this enlightening book, Nobel Prize winner Giorgio Parisi guides us through his unorthodox yet exhilarating work to show us how. It all starts with investigating the principles of physics by observing the sophisticated flight patterns of starlings. Studying the movements of these birds, he has realized, proves an illuminating way into understanding complex systems of all kinds - collections of everything from atoms to planets to other animals like ourselves. Along the way, Parisi reflects on the lessons he''s taken from a life in pursuit of scientific truth: the importance oTrade ReviewThe man who looked at birds and grasped the secrets of the universe ... Read this, and you will get at least a frisson of what a top-flight career in physics might feel like * Daily Telegraph *The Italian physicist puts the fiendishly tricky theory of complex systems in terms of birds and bus rides ... aims to make his branch of science accessible to all * Observer *Giorgio Parisi is remarkably flexible and ingenious... In a Flight of Starlings is a compelling introduction to how modern researchers think about complex systems, enlivened by autobiographical anecdote and reflection on the processes of science -- Sean Carroll * The Times Literary Supplement *Parisi tells of his adventures in thinking in this alarmingly brilliant, witty and brief book -- Robert Fox * Evening Standard *In a Flight of Starlings offers a glimpse into scientific discovery ... a forceful argument for the value of scientific literacy at a time when it's increasingly being challenged by misinformation ... Parisi's book is a step toward making physics feel more accessible -- Andrew DeMillo * Independent *An interesting collection of essays reflecting on Parisi's long career in science . . . The scientific explanations are admirably lucid * The Wall Street Journal *An erudite contemplation on both science and the process of doing science. And a joy to read -- Marcus Chown * Prospect Magazine *In this delightful and deeply thoughtful book, Giorgio Parisi weaves a tapestry of experiences and ideas that connects disciplines and prepares us to appreciate the beauty, importance, and cultural value of science -- Frances Arnold, winner of the Nobel PrizeAn extraordinary scientist -- Carlo Rovelli, author of Seven Brief Lessons on PhysicsGiorgio Parisi is renowned for his scientific creativity, originality, and power. In this exhilarating little book, he shows his human side, too. By its end, readers will feel they've made a charming, witty new friend. -- Frank Wilczek, winner of the Nobel Prize and author of Fundamentals

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Book SynopsisPhilosophy of Molecular Medicine: Foundational Issues in Theory and Practice aims at a systematic investigation of a number of foundational issues in the field of molecular medicine. The volume is organized around four broad modules focusing, respectively, on the following key aspects: What are the nature, scope, and limits of molecular medicine? How does it provide explanations? How does it represent and model phenomena of interest? How does it infer new knowledge from data and experiments? The essays collected here, authored by prominent scientists and philosophers of science, focus on a handful of mainstream topics in the philosophical literature, such as causation, explanation, modeling, and scientific inference. These previously unpublished contributions shed new light on these traditional topics by integrating them with problems, methods, and results from three prominent areas of contemporary biomedical science: basic research, tranTrade ReviewPhilosophy of Molecular Medicine offers 12 insightful chapters of philosophical and historical reflections on foundational issues in molecular medicine. This edited volume offers a rich introduction to and discussion of important philosophical issues that arise at the interface of basic science, clinical research, and clinical practice.-Sara Green, SpringerTable of ContentsIntroduction Giovanni Boniolo and Marco J. NathanPart 1: Nature, Origins, and ScopeChap. 1: Molecular medicine: the clinical method enters the lab. What tumor heterogeneity and primary tumor culture teach us Giovanni BonioloChap. 2: Personalized Medicine: Historical Roots of a Medical Model Mariacarla Gadebusch Bondio and Francesco SpöringChap. 3: From the concept of genetic disease to the geneticization of diseases: analyzing and solving the paradox of contemporary medical genetics Marie Darrason Part 2: Explanation Chap. 4: Molecular complexity: Why has psychiatry not been revolutionized by genomics (yet)? Maël LemoineChap. 5: How cancer spreads: reconceptualizing a disease Katherine E. Liu, Alan C. Love, and Michael TravisanoChap. 6: Evolutionary Perspectives on Molecular Medicine: Cancer from an Evolutionary Perspective Anya PlutynskiPart 3: Representation and Modeling Chap. 7: Towards a Notion of Intervention in Big-Data Biology and Molecular Medicine Federico Boem and Emanuele RattiChap. 8: Pathways to the clinic: cancer stem cells and challenges for translational research Melinda Bonnie FaganChap. 9: Counterfactual Reasoning in Molecular Medicine Marco J. NathanPart 4: Inference Chap. 10: Forms of Extrapolation in Molecular Medicine Pierre-Luc Germain and Tudor BaetuChap. 11: Testing Oncological Treatments in the Era of Personalized Medicine David TeiraChap. 12: Opportunities and challenges of molecular epidemiology Federica Russo and Paolo Vineis

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis A reprint of the Bobbs-Merrill edition of 1970. These essays lead the reader through the land of the wonderful shrinking genie to the warehouse where the infinity machines are kept. By careful examination of a lamp that is switched on and off infinitely many times, or the workings of a machine that prints out an infinite decimal expansion of pi, we begin to understand how it is possible for Achilles to overtake the tortoise. The concepts that form the basis of modern science-space, time, motion, change, infinity-are examined and explored in this edition. Includes an updated bibliography.

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Book Synopsis"Structure of Science: Problems in the Logic of Scientific Explanation - 2nd Edition".Trade ReviewErnest Nagel's work, The Structure of Science , has earned for itself the status of an outstanding standard work in its field. It offers an exceptionally thorough and comprehensive methodological and philosophical exploration encountered in those diverse fields. Nagel's discussion is distinguished by the lucidity of its style, the incisiveness of its reasoning, and the solidity of its grounding in all the major branches of scientific inquiry. The Structure of Science has become a highly influential work that is widely invoked in the methodological and philosophical literature. Recent controversies between analytics and historic-sociological approaches to the philosophy of science have not diminished its significance; in fact, it seems to me that the pragmatist component in Nagel's thinking may be helpful for efforts to develop a rapprochement between the contending schools. --Carl G. Hempel

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Book SynopsisThis volume of the definitive edition of Charles Darwin's letters provides texts of more than 700 letters Darwin wrote and received in 1881. Darwin published The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms and reflected on reactions to his previous book, The Power of Movement in Plants.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations; List of Letters; Introduction; Acknowledgments; List of Provenances; Note on Editorial Policy; Darwin/Wedgwood Genealogy; Abbreviations and Symbols; The Correspondence; Appendixes: I. Translations; II. Chronology; III. Diplomas; IV. Presentation List for Earthworms; V. Reviews of Earthworms; Manuscript Alterations and Comments; Biographical Register and Index to Correspondents; Bibliography; Notes on Manuscript Sources; Index.

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Book SynopsisFollowing a long-term international collaboration between leaders in cosmology and the philosophy of science, this volume addresses foundational questions at the limit of science across these disciplines, questions raised by observational and theoretical progress in modern cosmology. Space missions have mapped the Universe up to its early instants, opening up questions on what came before the Big Bang, the nature of space and time, and the quantum origin of the Universe. As the foundational volume of an emerging academic discipline, experts from relevant fields lay out the fundamental problems of contemporary cosmology and explore the routes toward finding possible solutions. Written for graduates and researchers in physics and philosophy, particular efforts are made to inform academics from other fields, as well as the educated public, who wish to understand our modern vision of the Universe, related philosophical questions, and the significant impacts on scientific methodology.Trade Review'The editors of this volume boldly announce that this collection of essays by an international group of philosophers and physicists 'marks a beginning' of 'a body of philosophical literature engaged with contemporary cosmology …' Currently, cosmology is at the pinnacle of innovation; its rapid development requires engagement from physicists and philosophers of physics on foundational issues. What is speculative or meta-cosmology today, soon becomes the cosmology of tomorrow as theory struggles to keep up with discovery. Thus, the book begins with a section entitled 'Issues in the Philosophy of Cosmology' and proceeds to delve further into more specialized topics in cosmological structures, gravity, quantum foundations, and 'methodological and philosophical issues'. It should be noted that the quality of the volume's essays varies, as well as the level of technical difficulty; some chapters are remarkably lucid while others are comprehensible only to specialists.' L. B. McHenry, Choice'This volume, based on a series of workshops and a conference, brings together contributions by cosmologists and philosophers. … many readers will probably use certain chapters as jumping-off points for deeper study, helped by the copious references. At the same time, the chapters are long enough to provide more than a cursory introduction to the topic at hand. Despite the fact that - or perhaps because - cosmology is now a mainly data-driven science, the philosophy of cosmology has become an active but not yet mature field; this book provides a good introduction.' Phillip Helbig, The Observatory'What is remarkable about this collection of chapters is that it offers a dialogue between two scientific communities, cosmologists/high energy physicists and philosophers of science, that unfortunately do not usually interact enough with each other. … It is not possible to do justice to the number of interesting ideas and proposals presented in this very rich book in a short review. … In summary, this book presents a collection of chapters written by some of the foremost experts in their respective fields. The most interesting of these chapters are those written by scientists who truly tried to build a bridge between philosophy of science and cosmology. Overall, this book is well worth reading as it contains many fascinating perspectives and ideas presented in a very accessible manner for the different communities involved in this project.' Xavier Calmet, Springer NatureTable of ContentsPart I. Issues in the Philosophy of Cosmology: 1. The domain of cosmology and the testing of cosmological theories George F. R. Ellis; 2. Black holes, cosmology and the passage of time: three problems at the limits of science Bernard Carr; 3. Moving boundaries? – comments on the relationship between philosophy and cosmology Claus Beisbart; 4. On the question why there exists something rather than nothing Roderich Tumulka; Part II. Structures in the Universe and the Structure of Modern Cosmology: 5. Some generalities about generality John D. Barrow; 6. Emergent structures of effective field theories Jean-Philippe Uzan; 7. Cosmological structure formation Joel R. Primack; 8. Formation of galaxies Joseph Silk; Part III. Foundations of Cosmology: Gravity and the Quantum: 9. The observer strikes back James Hartle and Thomas Hertog; 10. Testing inflation Chris Smeenk; 11. Why Boltzmann brains do not fluctuate into existence from the de Sitter vacuum Kimberly K. Boddy, Sean M. Carroll and Jason Pollack; 12. Holographic inflation revised Tom Banks; 13. Progress and gravity: overcoming divisions between general relativity and particle physics and between physics and HPS J. Brian Pitts; Part IV. Quantum Foundations and Quantum Gravity: 14. Is time's arrow perspectival? Carlo Rovelli; 15. Relational quantum cosmology Francesca Vidotto; 16. Cosmological ontology and epistemology Don N. Page; 17. Quantum origin of cosmological structure and dynamical reduction theories Daniel Sudarsky; 18. Towards a novel approach to semi-classical gravity Ward Struyve; Part V. Methodological and Philosophical Issues: 19. Limits of time in cosmology Svend E. Rugh and Henrik Zinkernagel; 20. Self-locating priors and cosmological measures Cian Dorr and Frank Arntzenius; 21. On probability and cosmology: inference beyond data? Martin Sahlén; 22. Testing the multiverse: Bayes, fine-tuning and typicality Luke A. Barnes; 23. A new perspective on Einstein's philosophy of cosmology Cormac O'Raifeartaigh; 24. The nature of the past hypothesis David Wallace; 25. Big and small David Albert.

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Book SynopsisCarnap, Quine, and Putnam held that in our pursuit of truth we can do no better than to start in the middle, relying on already-established beliefs and inferences and applying our best methods for re-evaluating particular beliefs and inferences and arriving at new ones. In this collection of essays, Gary Ebbs interprets these thinkers'' methodological views in the light of their own philosophical commitments, and in the process refutes some widespread misunderstandings of their views, reveals the real strengths of their arguments, and exposes a number of problems that they face. To solve these problems, in many of the essays Ebbs also develops new philosophical approaches, including new theories of logical truth, language use, reference and truth, truth by convention, realism, trans-theoretical terms, agreement and disagreement, radical belief revision, and contextually a priori statements. His essays will be valuable for a wide range of readers in analytic philosophy.Trade Review'Ebbs' volume … is an important publication from both an historical and a systematic point of view. It offers a new perspective on the relation between Carnap, Quine, and Putnam, as well as a substantive contribution to ongoing systematic debates about truth, justification, and language use. As such, it will be of interest and value not only to historians of analytic philosophy, but also to all philosophers who believe that Carnap's, Quine's, and Putnam's most fundamental insights deserve continuous discussion and adaptation.' Notre Dame Philosophical ReviewsTable of ContentsPart I. Carnap: 1. Carnap's logical syntax; 2. Carnap on ontology; Part II. Carnap and Quine: 3. Carnap and Quine on truth by convention; 4. Quine's naturalistic explication of Carnap's logic of science; Part III. Quine: 5. Quine gets the last word; 6. Reading Quine's claim that definitional abbreviations create synonymies; 7. Can logical truth be defined in purely extensional terms?; 8. Reading Quine's claim that no statement is immune to revision; Part IV. Quine and Putnam: 9. Conditionalization and conceptual change: Chalmers in defense of a dogma; 10. Truth and trans-theoretical terms; Part V. Putnam: 11. Putnam and the contextually apriori.

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Book SynopsisThis volume is part of the definitive edition of letters written by and to Charles Darwin, the most celebrated naturalist of the nineteenth century. Notes and appendixes put these fascinating and wide-ranging letters in context, making the letters accessible to both scholars and general readers. Darwin depended on correspondence to collect data from all over the world, and to discuss his emerging ideas with scientific colleagues, many of whom he never met in person. The letters are published chronologically: volume 24 includes letters from 1876, the year in which Darwin published Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom, and started writing Forms of Flowers. In 1876, Darwin''s daughter-in-law, Amy, died shortly after giving birth to a son, Bernard Darwin, an event that devastated the family. The volume includes a supplement of 182 letters from earlier years, including a newly discovered collection of letters from William Darwin, Darwin''s eldest son.Table of ContentsList of illustrations; List of letters; Introduction; Acknowledgments; List of provenances; Note on editorial policy; Darwin/Wedgwood genealogy; Abbreviations and symbols; The correspondence; Appendix I. Translations; Appendix II. Chronology; Appendix III. Presentation lists for Variation, 2nd edition, Cross and Self Fertilisation, and Geological Observations, 2nd edition; Appendix IV. Reviews of Cross and Self Fertilisation; Appendix V. Letters regarding the HMS Challenger specimens; Manuscript alterations and comments; Biographical register and index to correspondents; Bibliography; Notes on manuscript sources; Index.

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Book SynopsisThis book provides a unique introduction to the study of relationships between gender and biology, a core part of the feminist science research tradition which emerged nearly half a century ago. Lynn Hankinson Nelson presents an accessible and balanced discussion of research questions, background assumptions, methods, and hypotheses about biology and gender with which feminist scientists and science scholars critically and constructively engage. Writing from the perspective of contemporary philosophy of science, she examines the evidence for and ethical implications of biological hypotheses about gender, and discusses relevant philosophical issues including understandings of scientific objectivity, the nature of scientific reasoning, and relationships between biological research and the scientific and social contexts in which it is pursued. Clear and comprehensive, this volume addresses the engagements of feminist scientists and science scholars with a range of disciplines, including dTrade Review'The book is written and structured in a way that makes it accessible to both students and researchers looking to familiarize themselves with the philosophy and history of feminist engagement with biology. It is also a great read for any feminist scientists, philosophers of science, or science studies scholars who, although maybe familiar with this area of study, are nonetheless looking for an engaging refresher.' Sara Weaver, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences'… offers an important outline of key philosophical issues threading through biology's concerns with gender, as well as feminist critiques.' Lynda Birke, A Journal of Feminist Philosophy'This text is suitable for classroom use because it gives a clear demonstration of the methods of philosophy of science, providing organized coverage of fundamental topics while vividly showing that legitimate critiques of logical reasoning in science are informed by social and political understanding.' Evelyn Brister, MetascienceTable of ContentsList of figures; Acknowledgements; Preface; 1. Conceptual preliminaries; 2. Sexual selection: Darwin; 3. Sexual selection: parental investment theory and human sociobiology; 4. Primatology; 5. Developmental biology; 6. Medicine; 7. Neurobiology; 8. Evolutionary psychology; 9. Socially responsible science and socially relevant philosophy of science; Bibliography; Index.

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