Philosophy of science Books

Book SynopsisIn this sequence of philosophical essays about natural science, Nancy Cartwright argues that fundamental explanatory laws, the deepest and most admired successes of modern physics, do not in fact describe the regularities that exist in nature. Yet she is not `anti-realist''. Rather, she draws a novel distinction, arguing that theoretical entities, and the complex and localized laws that describe them, can be interpreted realistically, but that the simple unifying laws of basic theory cannot.Trade ReviewThe issues raised are very important and highly controversial ... I believe the book to be of importance in inviting philosophers to take a new look at the way physics is actually done, and what their reaction to that practice might be. * M. L. G. Redhead, Philosophical Quarterly *a significant addition to the literature * W. H. Newton-Smith, Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisThis book presents the life and personality, the scientific and philosophical work of Ludwig Boltzmann, one of the great scientists who marked the passage from 19th- to 20th-Century physics. His rich and tragic life, ending by suicide at the age of 62, is described in detail. A substantial part of the book is devoted to discussing his scientific and philosophical ideas and placing them in the context of the second half of the 19th century. The fact that Boltzmann was the man who did most to establish that there is a microscopic, atomic structure underlying macroscopic bodies is documented, as is Boltzmann''s influence on modern physics, especially through the work of Planck on light quanta and of Einstein on Brownian motion.Boltzmann was the centre of a scientific upheaval, and he has been proved right on many crucial issues. He anticipated Kuhn''s theory of scientific revolutions and proposed a theory of knowledge based on Darwin. His basic results, when properly understood, can also Trade ReviewIt is valuable, not only for the wealth and scope of information it provides, but for offering an up-to-date view, accessible to all, of Boltzmann's scientific ideas. * Studies in History and Philosophy of Modern Physics *Carlo Cercignani has made an important contribution to our understanding of the man and his work in the context of his times... Much of the book will be interesting for the general reader. * George Fleck, The Chemical Intelligencer *I can warmly recommend the book to everybody who is interested in the history of science. * Dieter Flamm, Physics World *Table of ContentsForeword ; Preface ; Introduction ; 1. A short biography of Ludwig Boltzmann ; 2. Physics before Boltzmann ; 3. Kinetic theory before Boltzmann ; 4. The Boltzmann equation ; 5. Time irreversibility and the H-theorem ; 6. Boltzmann's relation and the statistical interpretation of entropy ; 7. Boltzmann, Gibbs and equilibrium statistical mechanics ; 8. The problem of polyatomic molecules ; 9. Boltzmann's contributions to other branches of physics ; 10. Boltzmann as a philosopher ; 11. Boltzmann and his contemporaries ; 12. The influence of Boltzmann's ideas on the science and technology of the twentieth century ; Epilogue ; Chronologys ; "A German professor's journey to Eldorado" ; Appendices

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Book SynopsisOver the past fifteen years, a new dimension to the analysis of science has emerged. Feminist theory, combined with the insights of recent developments in the history, philosophy, and sociology of science, has raised a number of new and important questions about the content, practice, and traditional goals of science. Feminists have pointed to a bias in the choice and definition of problems with which scientists have concerned themselves, and in the actual design and interpretation of experiments, and have argued that modern science evolved out of a conceptual structuring of the world that incorporated particular and historically specific ideologies of gender. The seventeen outstanding articles in this volume reflect the diversity and strengths of feminist contributions to current thinking about science.Trade ReviewAn excellant volume of essays that summarizes the state of the art in the feminist perspective on the philosophy of science. ... No one concerned with a deep understanding of science can afford to ignore this perspective and this book is the ideal overview. Network No 66, April 1998The book will certainly enhance undergraduate reading lists. * Women's Philosophy Review *This valuable collection leads the reader through the development of feminist thinking in the sciences. The well chosen pieces are republished here in carefully abridged form, and the collection should make an excellent teaching resource ... an engaging read as a single book, though its structure obviously renders it a useful trove for individual papers a number of which were formerly difficult to get hold of. All the papers in this very good collection show how a feminist perspective can reveal political aspects of inquiry, thereby serving the twin goals of objectivity and understanding in both science and philosophy. I hope that this volume finds its place on standard reading lists so that students and professionals alike may benefit. * Miranda Fricker, University of London, Brit. Jnl. for the Phil. of Sci. *

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Book SynopsisPhilosophical naturalism, according to which philosophy is continuous with the natural sciences, has dominated the Western academy for well over a century; but Michael Rea claims that it is without rational foundation, and that the costs of embracing it are surprisingly high. The first part of World Without Design aims to provide a fair and historically informed characterization of naturalism. Rea then argues compellingly to the surprising conclusion that naturalists are committed to rejecting realism about material objects, materialism, and perhaps realism about other minds. This conclusion is striking, largely because naturalism is often simply identified with materialism, and the remaining two theses are ones that naturalists very typically want to endorse. Rea goes on to examine two alternative research programs: intuitionism and supernaturalism, and argues for the conclusion that intuitionism, under certain circumstances, is self-defeating.World Without Design offers a provocativeTrade ReviewReview from previous edition succinct and penetrating ... Thoroughly researched and richly argued, World Without Design will prove valuable to anyone interested in the naturalistic tradition * Troy Cross, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of Contents1 NATURALISM ; 2 ONTOLOGY ; 3 ALTERNATIVES

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Book SynopsisStephen Mumford puts forward a new theory of dispositions, showing how central their role in metaphysics and philosophy of science is. Much of our understanding of the physical and psychological world is expressed in terms of dispositional properties - from the spin of a subatomic particle and the solubility of sugar to a person''s belief that zebras have stripes. Mumford discusses what it means to say that something has a property of this kind, and how dispositions can possibly be real things in the world. They have seemed to many to reside on the fringes of actuality, waiting to manifest themselves; Mumford''s clear, straightforward, realist account reveals them to be far less enigmatic, and shows that an understanding of dispositions is essential to an understanding of properties, causation, and scientific laws.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition Stephen Mumford's book Dispositions does much more than just expound his contribution to the wider debate on dispositions. Here is all you will need to know about that debate as it stands ... clearly and intelligently explained. * Alexander Bird, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *Mumford's Dispositions is packed full of argument and analyses of all the issues concerning dispositions and the major contributions in the existing literature. This will certainly top the list of such contributions for some time to come. It is the book I would recommend to anyone wanting to get up-to-speed on this important topic. Its style is clear and pleasing. And Mumford's own views are an important contribution to the area. * Alexander Bird, British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *Mumford's book is the most detailed and seriously worked out study of dispositions yet * Wolfgang Malzkorn, Erkenntnis *Mumford's theory is an interesting account of dispositions which comes very close to the true nature of those amazing and important properties * Wolfgang Malzkorn, Erkenntnis *'Dispositions' reads pretty easily in part because it is free of the technical notation that is so tempting to introduce and in part because it is extremely well written and produced. Mumford also reveals his deep understanding of the philosophical problem of dispositions in that the book stays focused on the most imperative matters, never straying to pet issues more amenable to advancement. * The Philosophical Review, vol.110, no.1 *Stephen Mumford confronts the toughest and most important metaphysical issues about dispositions. * The Philosophical Review, vol.110, no.1 *Table of Contents1. Threats and Promises ; 2. Dispositions in Mind and Matter ; 3. The Conditional Analysis ; 4. The Dispositional-Categorical Distinction ; 5. Property Dualism ; 6. Dispositions as Causes ; 7. Property Monism ; 8. Eliminativism and Reductionism ; 9. A Functionalist Theory of Dispositions ; 10. Laws of Nature Outlawed ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisEvery Thing Must Go argues that the only kind of metaphysics that can contribute to objective knowledge is one based specifically on contemporary science as it really is, and not on philosophers'' a priori intuitions, common sense, or simplifications of science. In addition to showing how recent metaphysics has drifted away from connection with all other serious scholarly inquiry as a result of not heeding this restriction, they demonstrate how to build a metaphysics compatible with current fundamental physics (''ontic structural realism''), which, when combined with their metaphysics of the special sciences (''rainforest realism''), can be used to unify physics with the other sciences without reducing these sciences to physics itself. Taking science metaphysically seriously, Ladyman and Ross argue, means that metaphysicians must abandon the picture of the world as composed of self-subsistent individual objects, and the paradigm of causation as the collision of such objects.Everything Trade ReviewThis material is dense, challenging and creative...a provovative book...the authors are to be commended for taking on the challenge to develop a systematic, scientifically informed metaphysics for the twenty-first century. * Paul W. Humphreys Metascience *This challenging and provocative book contends that contemporary fundamental physics carries radically counterintuitive consequences for metaphysics * Jarrett Leplin, Philosophical Papers *an enticing work * Jeremy Butterfield, Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. In Defence of Scientism ; 2. Scientific Realism, Constructive Empiricism and Structuralism ; 3. Ontic Structural Realism and the Philosophy of Physics ; 4. Rainforest Realism and the Unity of Science ; 5. Causation in a Structural World ; 6. Conclusion - Philosophy Enough ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisSpace, Time, Matter, and Form collects ten of David Bostock''s essays on themes from Aristotle''s Physics, four of them published here for the first time. The first five papers look at issues raised in the first two books of the Physics, centred on notions of matter and form, and the idea of substance as what persists through change. They also range over other of Aristotle''s scientific works, such as his biology and psychology and the account of change in his De Generatione et Corruptione. The volume''s remaining essays examine themes in later books of the Physics, including infinity, place, time, and continuity. Bostock argues that Aristotle''s views on these topics are of real interest in their own right, independent of his notions of substance, form, and matter; they also raise some pressing problems of interpretation, which these essays seek to resolve.Trade ReviewThis is a very useful publication. There is clearly a unity of vision which underlies these different studies, and it is good to have them collected in a book. Both the choice of topics and the high quality of discussion make it indispensible reading for all serious students of Aristotle. * Inna Kupreeva, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *This timely collection of essays by David Bostock, written over a twenty year period, will help to reorient the reader of this classic of the history of philosophy and science...I found every essay in this volume deepened my appreciation of Aristotle's natural philosophy and challenged me to reconsider its foundations. * James Lennox, Mind *Table of Contents1. Aristotle on the principles of change in Physics I ; 2. Transmutation of the Elements in De Generatione et Corruptione 1.1-4 ; 3. Aristotle's Theory of Matter ; 4. Aristotle on Teleology in Nature ; 5. Aristotle's Theory of Form ; 6. Aristotle on the Eleatics in Physics I, 2-3 ; 7. Aristotle, Zeno, and the Potential Infinite ; 8. Note on Aristotle's Account of Place ; 9. Aristotle's Account of Time ; 10. Aristotle on Continuity in Physics VI

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Book SynopsisWhy did science emerge in the West and how did scientific values come to be regarded as the yardstick for all other forms of knowledge? Stephen Gaukroger shows just how bitterly the cognitive and cultural standing of science was contested in its early development. Rejecting the traditional picture of secularization, he argues that science in the seventeenth century emerged not in opposition to religion but rather was in many respects driven by it. Moreover, science did not present a unified picture of nature but was an unstable field of different, often locally successful but just as often incompatible, programmes. To complicate matters, much depended on attempts to reshape the persona of the natural philosopher, and distinctive new notions of objectivity and impartiality were imported into natural philosophy, changing its character radically by redefining the qualities of its practitioners.The West''s sense of itself, its relation to its past, and its sense of its future, have been prTrade ReviewGaukroger's book is a historical reconstruction that brackets historical context (social, practical, political etc.) and offers a plethora of studies on intellectual history on a variety of subjects that deserve attention in any investigation of the emergence of the scientific culture of the West. * Wolfgang Lefèvre ISIS d *The thesis of his substanial and impreesive book is that Christianity indeed played a major, not, as often proposed, through the dissociation of science from religious concerns, but through a reconstituted partnership between Christianity and (a reconstructed) natural philosophy...I am not aware of any other treatment of these themes that combines so magisterially a discerning account of changing boundaries between disciplines with a dispassionate analysis of the changing relations between theology and the sciences. The result is a scholarly exploration on a grand scale. * John Hedley Brooke British Journal for the History of Science *Gaukroger's book is a historical context (social, practical, political, etc.) and offers a plethora of studies in intellectual history on a variety of subjects that deserve attention in any investigation of the emergence of the scientidic culture of the West. * Wolfgang Lefèvre ISIS *This impressive and wide-ranging book is the first of a quintet devoted to the question: how in the (Western) world did all cognitive values come to be associated with scientific ones?... Gaukroger's grand beginning of an even grander five-volume narrative is an exceptional book. Its structure of scientific authority, as it were, is certain to stimulate long and lively discussions among academics of every stripe. * Michael H. Shank, Renaissance Quarterly *[A] substantial and impressive book...I am not aware of any other treatment of these themes that combines so magisterially a discerning account of changing boundaries between disciplines with a dispassionate analysis of the changing relations between theology and the sciences. The result is a scholarly exploration on the grand scale. * John Hedley Brooke, British Journal for the History of Science *especially useful to philosophers looking for the historical context of particular arguments. Few historians have the ambition to attempt a synoptic treatment of the entire history of Western science at anything more than an introductory level. Certainly, no one has undertaken such a project in recent years, when so much has been added to the secondary literature. Gaukroger's book is a comprehensive, narrative overview of the state of the art...[this book] and its companion volumes will fill an empty niche on scholars' bookshelves. * David Marshall Miller, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *A careful reading of this outstanding treatise by Gaukroger brings to life not only 500 crucial years that yielded the emergence of science in the west, but also the religious ferment and motivations that forwarded the new scientific culture. * T. Eastman, Choice *Gaukroger provides an insightful analysis...[and] the book's...content also reminds us of its author's accomplishments as a historian of philosophy. * Peter Dear, Nature, Vol. 446 *a project of breathtaking ambition... an impressive performance...and synthesizes a lot of difficult material into a coherent body. * Times Literary Supplement *Table of ContentsPART I ; PART II ; PART III ; PART IV ; PART V

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Book SynopsisWhat are individuals? How can they be identified? These are crucial questions for philosophers and scientists alike. Criteria of individuality seem to differ markedly between metaphysics and the empirical sciences - and this might well explain why no work has hitherto attempted to relate the contributions of metaphysics, physics and biology on this question. This timely volume brings together various strands of research into ''individuality'', examining how different sciences handle the issue, and reflecting on how this scientific work relates to metaphysical concerns. The collection makes a major contribution to clarifying and overcoming obstacles to the construction of a general conception of the individual adequate for both physics and biology, and perhaps even beyond.Trade ReviewWithout a doubt, the individual contributions advance particular individuality debates in valuable ways. There is work that extends several influential approaches to individuality in biology. * Karen Kovaka, Studies in History and Philosophy of the Biological and Biomedical Sciences *Table of ContentsContents ; Chapter 1: Introduction: Progressive steps towards a unified conception of individuality ; across the sciences ; Alexandre Guay & Thomas Pradeu ; Part 1: Metaphysical and logical foundations to individuality ; Chapter 2: Why individuality matters ; Stephane Chauvier ; A foreword to Jonathan Lowe's chapter ; Alexander Bird ; Chapter 3: Non-Individuals ; Jonathan Lowe ; Chapter 4: Individuality, quantum physics, and a metaphysics of non-individuals: the ; role of the formal ; Krause and Arenhart ; Part 2: Puzzles about individuals in biology and physics ; Chapter 5: Individuality and Life Cycles ; Peter Godfrey-Smith ; Chapter 6: What Biofilms Can Teach Us About Individuality ; Marc Ereshefsky and Makmiller Pedroso ; Chapter 7: Cell and Body: Individuals in Stem Cell Biology ; Melinda Fagan ; Chapter 8: Collective individuals: parallels between joint action and biological ; individuality ; Cedric Paternotte ; Chapter 9: On the Emergence of Individuals in Physics ; Simon Saunders ; Chapter 10: Are there individuals in physics and if so what are they? ; James Ladyman ; Chapter 11: Minimal Structural Essentialism: Why Physics Doesn't Care Which is ; Which ; David Glick ; Chapter 12: Bohm's approach and individuality ; Paavo Pylkkanen, Basil J. Hiley, and Ilkka Pattiniemi ; Chapter 13: Branch-Relative Identity ; Christina Conroy ; Part 3: Beyond disciplinary borders ; Chapter 14: The Metaphysics of Individuality and the Sciences ; Matteo Morganti ; Chapter 15: The Biological and the Mereological: Metaphysical Implications of the ; Individuality Thesis ; Matt Haber ; Chapter 16: To Be Continued: The Genidentity of Physical and Biological Processes ; Alexandre Guay and Thomas Pradeu ; Chapter 17: Experimental Realization of Individuality ; Ruey-Lin Chen ; Chapter 18: Eliminating Objects Across the Sciences ; Steven French

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Book SynopsisIn this book the author challenges the position of statistical analysis as the main quantitative tool used in social sciences. Why Social Sciences Are Not Scientific Enough will be of interest to social science students, researchers, and methodologists.Table of ContentsPART I. THE LIMITATIONS OF DESCRIPTIVE METHODOLOGY; PART II. QUANTITATIVELY PREDICTIVE LOGICAL MODELS; PART III. SYNTHESIS OF PREDICTIVE AND DESCRIPTIVE APPROACHES

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Book SynopsisTraditionally, philosophers of quantum mechanics have addressed exceedingly simple systems: a pair of electrons in an entangled state, or an atom and a cat in Dr. Schrodinger''s diabolical device. But recently, much more complicated systems, such as quantum fields and the infinite systems at the thermodynamic limit of quantum statistical mechanics, have attracted, and repaid, philosophical attention. Interpreting Quantum Theories has three entangled aims. The first is to guide those familiar with the philosophy of ordinary QM into the philosophy of ''QM infinity'', by presenting accessible introductions to relevant technical notions and the foundational questions they frame. The second aim is to develop and defend answers to some of those questions. Does quantum field theory demand or deserve a particle ontology? How (if at all) are different states of broken symmetry different? And what is the proper role of idealizations in working physics? The third aim is to highlight ties between Trade ReviewEach of these chapters by itself makes an important contribution to philosophy of physics; but amazingly, Ruetsche ties them each to the overarching argument against pristine interpretations and for a modification of traditional scientific realism. ... It is a book that repays close study and which should be discussed extensively by philosophers in the years to come. * Hans Halvorson, Metascience *All in all, the book is a remarkable achievement: at one and the same time a cohesive account of a major body of work by the author and others, an accessible and philosophically sensitive introduction to the field, a powerful defence of a largely novel position in philosophy of science through careful attention to scientific details, and an impressive advertisement for the value of that strategy in philosophy of science that places a high premium on mathematical rigour, without losing focus on the philosophical issues at hand. It is not the only strategy available but, in Reutsches hands at least, it is remarkably effective. * David Wallace, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *Ruetsche's book is set apart from many of the recent books of the philosophy of physics, not only in its engagement with the quantum theory of infinite systems (including quantum field theory), but also in its explicit engagement with questions from general philosophy of science ... It is a book that repays close study and which should be discussed extensively by philosophers in the years to come. * Hans Halvorson, Metascience *Table of ContentsContents ; Preface ; Abbreviations and Symbols ; 1. Exegesis Saves: Interpreting Physical Theories ; 2. Quantizing ; 3. Beyond the Stone-von Neumann Theorem ; 4. Representation Without Taxation ; 5. Axioms for Quantum Theories ; 6. Interpreting Quantum Theories: Some Options ; 7. Extraordinary QM ; 8. Interpreting Extraordinary QM ; 9. Is Particle Physics Particle Physics? ; 10. Particles and the Void ; 11. Phenomenological Particle Notions ; 12. A Matter of Degree: Making Sense of Phase Structure ; 13. Interlude: Symmetry Breaking in QSM ; 14. Broken Symmetry and Physicists' QFT ; 15. Morals? ; References

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Book SynopsisDiversity and complexity are the hallmarks of living forms. Yet science aims for general causal explanations of its observations - so how can this be achieved in the non-physical sciences? This new book considers whether there can be a general theory in biology and the social sciences, that is in any way equivalent to those seen in physics.Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. The Rutherford dictum and its meaning for biology ; 2. Plus Cca change ; 3. The Expansion of Selection Theory ; 4. Evolutionary Epistemology ; 5. Selection and Cultural Change ; 6. Further applications of selection theory to aspects of human culture ; 7. Levels of Selection ; References

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Book SynopsisDoes natural selection act primarily on individual organisms, on groups, on genes, or on whole species? Samir Okasha provides a comprehensive analysis of the debate in evolutionary biology over the levels of selection, focusing on conceptual, philosophical and foundational questions. A systematic framework is developed for thinking about natural selection acting at multiple levels of the biological hierarchy; the framework is then used to help resolve outstanding issues. Considerable attention is paid to the concept of causality as it relates to the levels of selection, in particular the idea that natural selection at one hierarchical level can have effects that ''filter'' up or down to other levels. Unlike previous work in this area by philosophers of science, full account is taken of the recent biological literature on ''major evolutionary transitions'' and the recent resurgence of interest in multi-level selection theory among biologists. Other biological topics discussed include PrTrade ReviewA clearly written, unique and useful book * Elizabeth Lloyd, Trends in Ecology and Evolution *A major conceptual contribution to evolutionary theory... Okasha's book makes the sort of contribution that will not be able to be ignored by anyone interested in this field for many years to come. * Massimo Pigliucci, Biology and Philosophy *Evolution and the Levels of Selection is a major contribution toward putting this controversial area on a coherent conceptual and philosophical footing... Okasha has greatly clarified many of the central issues. I can't imagine anyone working on multilevel selection - or attempting to dismiss it - without reading this book. * David Jablonski, Science *Sam Okasha's wonderful new book... is a philosophical examination of the conceptual framework that multi-level selection theory deploys... It is gratifying that his book engages the details of mathematical models and at the same time connects those details with broader philosophical questions. * Elliott Sober, Bioscience *...an extremely thought-provoking and important book about a dificult and highly technical topic...This is not a book to pull a chapter out of, but instead demands a careful reading of the whole text. Those who do will be rightly rewarded. * Matt Haber MIND *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Natural Selection in the Abstract ; 2. Selection at Multiple Levels: Concepts and Methods ; 3. Causality and Multi-level Selection ; 4. Philosophical Issues in the Levels of Selection Debate ; 5. The Gene's Eye View and its Discontents ; 6. The Group Selection Controversy ; 7. Species Selection, Clade Selection and Macroevolution ; 8. Levels of Selection and the Major Evolutionary Transitions

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Book SynopsisIn recent decades, the analysis of causal relations has become a topic of central importance in analytic philosophy. More recently, dispositional properties have also become objects of intense study. Both of these phenomena appear to be intimately related to counterfactual conditionals and other modal phenomena such as objective chance, but little work has been done to directly relate them. Dispositions and Causes contains ten essays by scholars working in both metaphysics and in philosophy of science, examining the relation between dispositional and causal concepts.Particular issues discussed include the possibility of reducing dispositions to causes, and vice versa; the possibility of a nominalist theory of causal powers; the attempt to reduce all metaphysical necessity to dispositional properties; the relationship between dispositions, causes, and laws of nature; the role of causal capacities in explaining the success of scientific inquiry; the grounding of dispositions and causes iTrade Reviewten authors tackle an impressively wide range of topics. * D. H. Mellor, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science *Table of Contents1. The metaphysics of dispositions and causes ; 2. Dispositions, causes, and reduction ; 3. Causal structuralism, dispositional actualism, and counterfactual conditionals ; 4. Leaving things to take their chances: Cause and disposition grounded in chance ; 5. Causal laws, policy predictions, and the need for genuine powers ; 6. How is scientific analysis possible? ; 7. Agent-causal power ; 8. Structural properties revisited ; 9. Causal nominalism ; 10. Why do the laws explain why? ; References

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Book SynopsisDaniel Garber presents an illuminating study of Leibniz''s conception of the physical world. Leibniz''s commentators usually begin with monads, mind-like simple substances, the ultimate building-blocks of the Monadology. But Leibniz''s apparently idealist metaphysics is very puzzling: how can any sensible person think that the world is made up of tiny minds? In this book, Garber tries to make Leibniz''s thought intelligible by focusing instead on his notion of body. Beginning with Leibniz''s earliest writings, he shows how Leibniz starts as a Hobbesian with a robust sense of the physical world, and how, step by step, he advances to the monadological metaphysics of his later years. Much of the book''s focus is on Leibniz''s middle years, where the fundamental constituents of the world are corporeal substances, unities of matter and form understood on the model of animals. For Garber monads only enter fairly late in Leibniz''s career, and when they enter, he argues, they do not displace Trade ReviewDaniel Garbers book is an important contribution. * Tamás Demeter, Philosopy in Review QUOTE LOADED 21/01/2013 *Garber has written a remarkable book. * Francoise Monnoyeur, The Philosophical Quarterly, Vol. 60 No. 241 (Oct 2010) *Garber has delivered an unusually rich and subtle reading of Leibniz... his meticulous story of the development of Leibniz's thought about substance and body from his early years up through the middle years, and in particular his insightful description of the ways in which considerations of unity, persistence, and activity led Leibniz to realize that substantial forms have something to contribute to physics, is by far the best account we have of this subject... an immensely valuable contribution to the literature. Its combination of first-rate scholarship and provocative interpretive theses will make it essential reading for specialists working on Leibniz's metaphysics. It would be a shame, however, if it were read only by specialists. For the story it tells is an engaging one. * Stephen Puryear, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *impressive and brilliantly argued ... a fascinating journey through Leibniz's view (or views) of the physical world and its metaphysical grounding from his earliest years to the end of his life. There can be no doubt that the resulting study constitues a milestone contribution which will mark the direction of the debate on Leibniz's theories of substance and of the ontological status of bodies for many years to come. * Maria Rosa Antognazza, Nuncius: Journal of the Material and Visual History of Science *With a powerful mix of original scholarship, textual analysis, and contextualization, Daniel Garber closes a case he has been building for nearly thirty years against the myth of Leibniz as "a dogmatic who from his early years to the end of his life lived in an austere and immaterial world of spiritual substances". * Geoffrey Gorham, Isis *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. First Thoughts ; 2. Reforming Mechanism: Unity ; 3. Reforming Mechanism: Body and Force, Matter and Form (I) ; 4. Reforming Mechanism: Body and Force, Matter and Form (II) ; 5. Complete Individual Concepts, Non-Communication and Causal Connection ; 6. Divine Wisdom and Final Causes ; 7. Leibnizian Phenomenalisms ; 8. Enchanting the World: "...after many corrections and forward steps in my thinking" ; 9. Monads, Bodies and Corporeal Substances: The Endgame ; Epilogue ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisWhat distinguishes good explanations in neuroscience from bad? Carl F. Craver constructs and defends standards for evaluating neuroscientific explanations that are grounded in a systematic view of what neuroscientific explanations are: descriptions of multilevel mechanisms. In developing this approach, he draws on a wide range of examples in the history of neuroscience (e.g. Hodgkin and Huxley''s model of the action potential and LTP as a putative explanation for different kinds of memory), as well as recent philosophical work on the nature of scientific explanation. Readers in neuroscience, psychology, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of science will find much to provoke and stimulate them in this book.Trade ReviewReview from previous edition Given how much attention has been paid to neuroscience, it is little surprising how slow philosophy of science has been in exploring the philosophical issues involved in explaining the brain and using the brain to explain behaviour. Carl Craver's book...represents this new direction, and an excellent addition to a burgeoning field it is...Explaining the Brain is timely, well-written, and meticulously argued...I highly recommend this text to anyone with any interest in how theories in neuroscience are constructed...Craver's book set the bar high. It will be difficult indeed to surpass this work in the near future. * Valerie Gray Hardcastle, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *This book should be of interest not just to those of us who care about philosophy of neuroscience, but also to philosophers of biology and philosophers of mind more generally. I expect it to shape debate for a long time to come. * Colin Klein, Mind *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Introduction: Starting With Neuroscience ; 2. Explanation and Causal Relevance ; 3. Causal Relevance and Manipulation ; 4. The Norms of Mechanistic Explanation ; 5. A Field-Guide to Levels ; 6. Nonfundamental Explanation ; 7. The Mosaic Unity of Neuroscience

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Book SynopsisEvery Thing Must Go argues that metaphysics must be based on contemporary science as it really is, and not on philosophers' intuitions, common sense, or simplifications. Metaphysicians must abandon the picture of the world as composed of self-subsistent and individual objects, and the paradigm of causation as the collision of such objects.Trade ReviewThis material is dense, challenging and creative...a provovative book...the authors are to be commended for taking on the challenge to develop a systematic, scientifically informed metaphysics for the twenty-first century. * Paul W. Humphreys Metascience *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. In Defence of Scientism ; 2. Scientific Realism, Constructive Empiricism and Structuralism ; 3. Ontic Structural Realism and the Philosophy of Physics ; 4. Rainforest Realism and the Unity of Science ; 5. Causation in a Structural World ; 6. Conclusion - Philosophy Enough ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis book discusses deep problems about our place in the world with a minimum of technical jargon. It argues that ''absolutist'' ideas dating back to Plato continue to mislead generations of theoretical physicists and theologians. It explains that the multi-layered nature of our present descriptions of the world is unavoidable, not because of anything about the world but because of our own human natures. It tries to rescue mathematics from the singular and exceptional status that it has been assigned, as much by those who understand it as by those who do not. It provides direct quotations from many of the important contributors to its subject, and concludes with a penetrating criticism of many of the recent contributions to the often acrimonious debates about science and religions.Trade ReviewDavies has thought long and hard about the relationship of mathematics to the physical world, which gives him an interesting and even helpful perspective. * Josh Reeves, ESSSAT News 21.3 *Although some of the ideas in the book are complex, the presentation is both lucid and entertaining. It has made me re-evaluate my own beliefs about the nature of mathematics. Davies raises more questions than answers, and I strongly recommend to you this thought-provoking book. * Colva Roney-Dougal, The London Mathematical Society Newsletter *a wide-ranging, thought-provoking meditation * Manjit Kumar, New Scientist *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. The Scientific Revolution ; 2. The Human Condition ; 3. The Nature of Mathematics ; 4. Sense and Nonsense ; 5. Science and Religion

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Book SynopsisIn 1859 Darwin described a deceptively simple mechanism that he called natural selection, a combination of variation, inheritance, and reproductive success. He argued that this mechanism was the key to explaining the most puzzling features of the natural world, and science and philosophy were changed forever as a result. The exact nature of the Darwinian process has been controversial ever since, however. Godfrey-Smith draws on new developments in biology, philosophy of science, and other fields to give a new analysis and extension of Darwin''s idea. The central concept used is that of a Darwinian population, a collection of things with the capacity to undergo change by natural selection. From this starting point, new analyses of the role of genes in evolution, the application of Darwinian ideas to cultural change, and evolutionary transitions that produce complex organisms and societies are developed. Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection will be essential reading for anyone intTrade ReviewReview from previous edition Peter Godfrey-Smith's Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection is a dense and deep work on the foundations of evolutionary biology... Godfrey-Smith's book fruitfully forces us to think in new ways about evolution and natural selection. * Jay Odenbaugh, Science *Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection will be something to be reckoned with for anybody interested in the conceptual foundations of evolutionary theory and in the applicability of Darwinian ideas beyond the strict confines of biological evolution. * Massimo Pigliucci, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of Contents1. Introduction and Overview ; 2. Natural Selection and its Representation ; 3. Variation, Selection, and Origins ; 4. Reproduction and Individuality ; 5. Bottlenecks, Germ Lines, and Queen Bees ; 6. Levels and Transitions ; 7. The Gene's Eye View ; 8. Cultural Evolution ; Appendix. Models

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Book SynopsisBrian Skyrms presents eighteen essays which apply adaptive dynamics (of cultural evolution and individual learning) to social theory. Altruism, spite, fairness, trust, division of labor, and signaling are treated from this perspective. Correlation is seen to be of fundamental importance. Interactions with neighbors in space, on static networks, and on co-evolving dynamics networks are investigated. Spontaneous emergence of social structure and of signaling systems are examined in the context of learning dynamics.Trade ReviewIt is rewarding and exemplifies a good way of doing formal philosophy. It sheds light on what evolutionary approaches, especially simulations, can and cannot do for philosophy. But mostly, it highlights the fact that our understanding of social phenomena cannot be complete if we neglect a dynamical point of view ... We may not need only books like this in philosophy; but we need some, and we certainly need more of them. And if the recent literature is any indication, we will have them -- in no small part due to Skyrms' remarkable, pioneering work * Cédric Paternotte, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; PART I: CORRELATION AND THE SOCIAL CONTRACT ; Introduction to part I ; 1. Evolution and the Social Contract ; PART II: IMPORTANCE OF DYNAMICS ; Introduction to part II ; 2. Trust, Risk, and the Social Contract ; 3. Bargaining with Neighbors: Is Justice Contagious? ; 4. Stability and Explanatory Significance of Some Simple Evolutionary Models ; 5. Dynamics of Conformist Bias ; 6. Chaos and the Explanatory Significance of Equilibrium: Strange Attractors in Evolutionary Game Dynamics ; 7. Evolutionary Dynamics of Collective Action in N-person Stag Hunt Dilemmas ; 8. Learning to Take Turns ; 9. Evolutionary Considerations in the Framing of Social Norms ; PART III: DYNAMIC NETWORKS ; Introduction to part III ; 10. Learning to Network ; 11. A Dynamic Model of Social Network Formation ; 12. Network Formation by Reinforcement Learning: The Long and the Medium Run ; 13. Time to Absorption in Discounted Reinforcement Models ; PART IV: DYNAMICS OF SIGNALS ; Introduction to part IV ; 14. Learning to Signal: Analysis of a Micro-Level Reinforcement Model ; 15. Inventing New Signals ; 16. Signals, Evolution and the Explanatory Power of Transient Information ; 17. Co-Evolution of Pre-Play Signaling and Cooperation ; 18. Evolution of Signaling Systems with Multiple Senders and Receivers ; Index

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Book SynopsisWhat does realism about the quantum state imply? What follows when quantum theory is applied without restriction, if need be, to the whole universe? These are the questions which an illustrious team of philosophers and physicists debate in this volume. All the contributors are agreed on realism, and on the need, or the aspiration, for a theory that unites micro- and macroworlds, at least in principle. But the further claim argued by some is that if you allow the Schrödinger equation unrestricted application, supposing the quantum state to be something physically real, then this universe is one of countlessly many others, constantly branching in time, all of which are real. The result is the many worlds theory, also known as the Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics.The contrary claim sees this picture of many worlds as in no sense inherent in quantum mechanics, even when the latter is allowed unrestricted scope and even given that the quantum state itself is something physically Trade ReviewThis book provides arguably the most vivid and comprehensive treatment of both state-of-the art developments within and criticism of the Everett interpretation. * Guido Bacciagaluppi, Metascience *Table of Contents1. WHY MANY WORLDS?; 2. PROBLEMS WITH ONTOLOGY; 3. PROBABILITY IN THE EVERETT INTERPRETATION; 4. CRITICAL REPLIES; 5. ALTERNATIVES TO MANY WORLDS; 6. NOT ONLY MANY WORLDS

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding the emergence of a scientific culture - one in which cognitive values generally are modelled on, or subordinated to, scientific ones - is one of the foremost historical and philosophical problems with which we are now confronted. The significance of the emergence of such scientific values lies above all in their ability to provide the criteria by which we come to appraise cognitive enquiry, and which shape our understanding of what it can achieve. The period between the 1680s and the middle of the eighteenth century is a very distinctive one in this development. It is then that we witness the emergence of the idea that scientific values form a model for all cognitive claims. It is also at this time that science explicitly goes beyond technical expertise and begins to articulate a world-view designed to displace others, whether humanist or Christian. But what occurred took place in a peculiar and overdetermined fashion, and the outcome in the mid-eighteenth century was notTrade ReviewIt is impressively scholarly, interesting, and will no doubt take its place as an important contribution to the field of intellectual history. * Kurt Smith, MIND *makes a welcome contribution to the history of science * James A.T. Lancaster, British Journal for the History of Science *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; PART I ; 1. The Construction of a New World Picture ; 2. The Mathematical Principles of Natural Philosophy ; PART II ; 3. The Metaphysical Unity of Natural Philosophy ; 4. From Experimental Philosophy to Empiricism ; 5. Explaining the Phenomena ; PART III ; 6. Natural Philosophy and the Republic of Letters ; 7. The Realm of Reason ; PART IV ; 8. The Fortunes of a Unified Model of Natural Philosophy ; 9. Material Activity ; 10. Living and Dead Matter ; PART V ; 11. The Realm of Sensibility ; 12. Historical Understanding and the Human Condition ; Conclusion ; Bibliography of Works Cited ; Index

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Book SynopsisSome philosophers think physical explanations stand on their own: what happens, happens because things have the properties they do. Others think that any such explanation is incomplete: what happens in the physical world must be partly due to the laws of nature. Causation and Laws of Nature in Early Modern Philosophy examines the debate between these views from Descartes to Hume. Ott argues that the competing models of causation in the period grow out of the scholastic notion of power. On this Aristotelian view, the connection between cause and effect is logically necessary. Causes are ''intrinsically directed'' at what they produce. But when the Aristotelian view is faced with the challenge of mechanism, the core notion of a power splits into two distinct models, each of which persists throughout the early modern period. It is only when seen in this light that the key arguments of the period can reveal their true virtues and flaws. To make his case, Ott explores such central topics asTrade ReviewReview from previous edition a fascinating account of the development of theories of causation and laws of nature in the early modern period ... a great piece of scholarship covering an impressive array of figures. * Journal of the History of Philosophy *illuminating, rich and intriguing * Archiv fuer Geschichte der Philosophie *Table of ContentsPART I: THE CARTESIAN PREDICAMENT; PART II: THE DIALECTIC OF OCCASIONALISM; PART III: POWER AND NECESSITY; PART IV: HUME

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Book SynopsisMathematics depends on proofs, and proofs must begin somewhere, from some fundamental assumptions. The axioms of set theory have long played this role, so the question of how they are properly judged is of central importance. Maddy discusses the appropriate methods for such evaluations and the philosophical backdrop that makes them appropriate.Trade Review'an engaging contribution to an important philosophical debate [which] deserves to be read far beyond the ranks of philosophers of mathematics' * Journal of Philosophy *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. The Problem ; 2. Proper Method ; 3. Thin Realism ; 4. Arealism ; 5. Morals ; Bibliography

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Book SynopsisIn Exceeding Our Grasp , Stanford argues that careful attention to the history of scientific investigation invites a challenge to this view that is not well represented in contemporary debates about the nature of the scientific enterprise.Trade ReviewThe argument is extremely clear, detailed, and thorough. It doesn't try to be a textbook, and is aimed squarely at professional philosophers and advanced students in philosophy of science. * Metaphilosophy *Table of Contents1. Realism, Pessimism, and Underdetermination ; 1.1 Scientific Realism: What's at Stake? ; 1.2 Problems for Pessimism and Underdetermination ; 1.3 Recurrent, Transient Underdetermination, and a New Induction over the History of Science ; 2. Chasing Duhem: The Problem of Unconceived Alternatives ; 2.1 Duhem's Worry: Eliminative Inferences and the Problem of Unconceived Alternatives ; 2.2 Confirmation: Holism, Eliminative Induction, and Bayesianism ; 2.3 Pessimism Revisited ; 3. Darwin and Pangenesis: The Search for the Material Basis of Generation and Heredity ; 3.1 Preliminary Worries ; 3.2 Pangenesis: Darwin's "Mad Dream" and "Beloved Child" ; 3.3 Darwin's Failure to Grasp Galton's Common Cause Mechanism for Inheritance ; 4. Galton and the Strip Theory ; 4.1 The Transfusion Experiments: "A Dreadful Disappointment to Them Both" ; 4.2 Galton's Strip Theory and Its Maturational, Invariant Conception of Inheritance ; 4.3 Galton's Understanding of "Correlation" and "Variable Influences" in Development ; 5. August Weismann's Theory of the Germ-Plasm ; 5.1 German Biology at the End of the Nineteenth Century and Weismann's Theory of the Germ-Plasm ; 5.2 Germinal Specificity, the Search for a Mechanism of Cellular Differentiation and the Reservation of the Germ-Plasm ; 5.4 Productive and Expendable Germinal Resources ; 5.5 Conclusion: Lessons from History ; 6. History Revisited: Pyrrhic Victories for Scientific Realism ; 6.1 Realist Responses to the Historical Record ; 6.2 Once More into the Breach: The Pessimistic Induction ; 6.3 Reference without Descriptive Accuracy ; 6.4 Diluting Approximate Truth ; 7. Selective Confirmation and the Historical Record: "Another Such Victory over the Romans"? ; 7.1 Realism, Selective Confirmation, and Retrospective Judgments of Idleness ; 7.2 Theoretical Posits: They Work Hard for the Money ; 7.3 Trust and Betrayal ; 7.4 Structural Realism and Retention ; 7.5 Selective Confirmation: No Refuge for Realism ; 8. Science without Realism? ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisSpanning centuries of philosophical and environmental thought, Reflecting on Nature: Readings in Environmental Ethics and Philosophy, Second Edition, will inform and enlighten your students while also encouraging debate.Extensively revised and updated for the second edition, this comprehensive collection presents fifty classic and contemporary readings, thirty-three of them new. The second edition retains the core readings and insights of the first edition while also updating its coverage in light of the many changes that have occurred over the last twenty years in the intellectual climate and in patterns of environmental concern. The selections are topically organized into sections on animals, biodiversity, ethics, images of nature, wilderness, and--new to this edition--aesthetics, climate change, food, and justice. This thematic organization, in combination with coverage of current environmental issues, encourages students to apply what they learn in class to real-life problems.Featuring insightful section introductions, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading, Reflecting on Nature, Second Edition, is ideal for use in environmental philosophy, environmental ethics, and environmental studies courses.Table of Contents*=NEW TO THIS EDITION; SECTION I. IMAGES OF NATURE; SECTION II. ETHICS AND THE ENVIRONMENT; SECTION III. JUSTICE AND THE ENVIRONMENT; SECTION IV. ANIMALS AND THE ENVIRONMENT; SECTION V. CONTEMPORARY ISSUES AND CONTROVERSIES; FOOD; WILDERNESS; BIODIVERSITY; CLIMATE CHANGE; AESTHETICS

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Book SynopsisIf a spinning disk casts a round shadow does this shadow also spin? When you experience the total blackness of a cave, are you seeing in the dark? Or are you merely failing to see anything (just like your blind companion)? Seeing Dark Things uses visual riddles to explore our ability to see things that do not reflect light. Shadows and holes are anomalies for the causal theory of perception, which states that anything we see must be a cause of what we see. This requirement neatly explains why you see the front of a book''s jacket and not its rear when you look at it face-on. However, the causal theory has trouble explaining how you manage to see the black letters on its surface. The letters are made visible by the light they fail to reflect rather than by the light they reflect. Nevertheless, Roy Sorensen defends the causal theory of perception by treating absences as causes. His fourteen chapters draw heavily on common sense and psychology to vindicate the assumption that we perceive Trade ReviewSorensen's book provokes thoughts about the nature and significance of seeing. His Eclipse Riddle is intriguing, as are the general questions he raises about seeing dark things. There are no easy answers to these questions. I enjoyed reading Sorensen's book, and thinking about the issues it raises. Others will too. * Richard Price, Mind *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations ; Introduction ; 1. The Eclipse Riddle ; 2. Seeing Surfaces ; 3. The Disappearing Act ; 4. Spinning Shadows ; 5. Berkeley's Shadow ; 6. Para-reflections ; 7. Para-reflections: Shadowgrams and the Black Drop ; 8. Goethe's Colored Shadows ; 9. Filtows ; 10. Holes in the Light ; 11. Black and Blue ; 12. Seeing in Black and White ; 13. We See in the Dark ; 14. Hearing Silence ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisOver recent years, the psychology of concepts has been rejuvenated by new work on prototypes, inventive ideas on causal cognition, the development of neo-empiricist theories of concepts, and the inputs of the budding neuropsychology of concepts. But our empirical knowledge about concepts has yet to be organized in a coherent framework.In Doing without Concepts, Edouard Machery argues that the dominant psychological theories of concepts fail to provide such a framework and that drastic conceptual changes are required to make sense of the research on concepts in psychology and neuropsychology. Machery shows that the class of concepts divides into several distinct kinds that have little in common with one another and that for this very reason, it is a mistake to attempt to encompass all known phenomena within a single theory of concepts. In brief, concepts are not a natural kind. Machery concludes that the theoretical notion of concept should be eliminated from the theoretical apparatus oTrade ReviewEven if one is not convinced by Machery's idea that concepts are not natural kinds, and that'concept' needs to be eliminated from the vocabulary of psychology, Doing without Concepts might still be taken as convincingly showing that in their search for the properties common to most or all concepts, psychologists have been looking in the wrong place. * André J. Abath, The Psychological Quarterly Vol 62 No 244 July 2011 *Table of ContentsList of Figures ; List of Tables ; Preface ; Acknowledgments ; Permissions ; Chapter 1. Concepts in Psychology ; 1. "Concept" in Psychology ; 2. Evidence for the Existence of Concepts ; 3. What is a Psychological Theory of Concepts? ; 4. Alternative Characterizations of the Notion of Concept ; Chapter 2. Concepts in Philosophy ; 1. "Concept" in Philosophy ; 2. Concepts in Philosophy versus Concepts in Psychology ; 3. How are the Psychological and the Philosophical Theories of Concepts Connected? Peacocke's Simple Account ; 4. How are the Psychological and the Philosophical Theories of Concepts Connected? The Foundationalist Account ; Chapter 3. The Heterogeneity Hypothesis ; 1. The Received View ; 2. The Heterogeneity Hypothesis ; 3. Hybrid Theories of Concepts ; Chapter 4. Three Fundamental Kinds of Concepts: Prototypes, Exemplars, Theories ; 1. The Classical Theory of concepts ; 2. The Prototype Paradigm of Concepts ; 3. The Exemplar Paradigm of Concepts ; 4. The Theory Paradigm of Concepts ; 5. Alternative Views of Concepts ; 6. Three Theoretical Entities that Have Little in Common ; Chapter 5. Multi-Process Theories ; 1. Multi-Process Theories ; 2. Examples of Multi-Process Theories ; Chapter 6. Categorization and Concept Learning ; 1. Categorization and Concept Learning ; 2. Studying Categorization and Concept Learning ; 3. Evidence for the Existence of Prototypes ; 4. Evidence for the Existence of Exemplars ; 5. Evidence for the Existence of Theories ; 6. Organization of the Categorization Processes and of the Concept Learning Processes ; Chapter 7. Induction, Concept Combination, Neuropsychology ; 1. Induction ; 2. Concept Combination ; 3. Neuropsychology ; Chapter 8. Concept Eliminativism ; 1. Two Inconclusive Arguments against the Notion of Concept ; 2. Natural Kinds and Scientific Eliminativism ; 3. The Argument for the Elimination of "Concept" ; 4. Objections and Replies ; Conclusion ; References ; Index of Names ; Index of Subjects

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Book SynopsisWhy did an atheist like Carl Sagan talk so much about God? Why does NASA climatologist James Hansen plead with us in his recent book not to waste Our Last Chance to Save Humanity? Because science advisors are our new prophets, Lynda Walsh argues in Scientists as Prophets: A Rhetorical Genealogy. She does not claim, as some scholars have, that these public scientists push scientism as a replacement for religion. Rather, she puts forth the provocative argument that prophetic ethos is a flexible type of charismatic authority whose function is to manufacture certainty. Scientists aren''t our only prophets, Walsh contents, but science advisors predictably perform prophetic ethos whenever they need to persuade their publics to take action or fund basic research. Walsh first charts the genealogy of this hybrid scientific-prophetic ethos back to its roots in ancient oracles before exploring its flourishing in 17th century Europe. She then tracks its performances and mutations through several iTrade ReviewOn contentious issues like climate change and the teaching of evolution in schools, public officials seek out scientific advisers for guidance, oftentimes pulling scientists into the spotlight away from their comfort zones. Some win widespread acclaim for their efforts to shape public policy, while others are denounced as subverters of traditional values. In Scientists as Prophets, Lynda Walsh shows that across history-Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Rachel Carson, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Steven Jay Gould, Carl Sagan-scientists who venture into public policy arenas are immersed in the discourse of prophecy. In this ambitious and insightful book, Walsh raises our appreciation of prophecy as a pragmatic and rational genre for experts doing their best to interpret the unknowable. * Davida Charney, Professor of Rhetoric and Writing, The University of Texas at Austin *Walsh shows that the prophetic function of the science adviser is as old as science itself, not a contemporary add-on. She uses an ingenious adaptation of Kenneth Burke's Pentad to trace its history and to show how the prophetic ethos has shaped contemporary controversies over nuclear security, pesticides, and global warming. The work is deeply informed, engagingly written, and convincingly argued; it enriches our understanding of the rhetoric of science and of the relations between science and the polity. * Carolyn R. Miller, SAS Institute Distinguished Professor of Rhetoric and Technical Communication, North Carolina State University *This book is interesting, nuanced and stimulating. * Jaume Navarro, British Journal for the History of Science *Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1-Prelude: Scientists as Prophets and the Rhetoric of Prophecy ; Chapter 2-The Delphic Oracle and Ancient Prophetic Ethos ; Chapter 3-The Natural Magician and the Prophet: Francis Bacon's Ethical Alchemy ; Chapter 4-Confirming Signs: The Prophetic Ethos of the Early Royal Society ; Chapter 5-Interlude: Competing Ethical Models and a Catch-22 ; Chapter 6-J. Robert Oppenheimer: Cultic prophet ; Chapter 7-Rachel Carson, Kairotic Prophet ; Chapter 8-Media, Metaphor, and the <"Oracles of Science>" ; Chapter 9-Climate Change and the Technologies of Prophecy ; Chapter 10-Postlude: Problems and Solutions ; Appendix: Key Reception and Constitution Sources ; Notes ; Selected Bibliography

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Book SynopsisScience and its philosophical companion, Naturalism, represent reality in wholly nonpersonal terms. How, if at all, can a nonpersonal scheme accommodate the first-person perspective that we all enjoy? In this volume, Lynne Rudder Baker explores that question by considering both reductive and eliminative approaches to the first-person perspective. After finding both approaches wanting, she mounts an original constructive argument to show that a nonCartesian first-person perspective belongs in the basic inventory of what exists. That is, the world that contains us persons is irreducibly personal.After arguing for the irreducibilty and ineliminability of the first-person perspective, Baker develops a theory of this perspective. The first-person perspective has two stages, rudimentary and robust. Human infants and nonhuman animals with consciousness and intentionality have rudimentary first-person perspectives. In learning a language, a person acquires a robust first-person perspective: thTrade ReviewHer [Baker's] book is characteristically thought provoking and provides us with a distinctive and, in many ways, attractive account of reality and our place in it. * Stephen Kearns, Oxford Journals Clippings: Analysis *Bakers book is a fine defence of a view worth taking seriously. It is a delight to read and is peppered with interesting arguments throughout. Just as David Chalmers enjoined us two decades ago to take phenomenal consciousness seriously, Baker wisely advises us to face up to the problem of self-consciousness. * Jacob Berger, Mind *As shown by Lynne Baker in her profound new book, scientific naturalism comes in different versions, depending on how its advocates respond to some crucial open issues...Baker sets a series of ambitious goals for her book. * Philosophical Review *Table of ContentsIntroduction: What is the Problem? ; The Claim of Naturalism ; A Challenge to Naturalism ; What is at Stake ; An Overview ; Part I: The Core Argument ; Ch. 1. Varieties of Naturalism ; What Counts As 'Science'? ; Reductive Naturalism ; Nonreductive Naturalism ; Disenchantment and Optimism ; Ch. 2. On Naturalizing the First-Person Perspective ; What is Naturalization? ; The Robust First-Person Perspective ; The Rudimentary First-Person Perspective ; Ch. 3. Reductive Approaches to the First-Person Perspective ; John Perry on an Epistemic Account of the Self ; David Lewis on De Se Belief ; A Comment on John Searle ; Can Cognitive Science Save the Day? ; Ch. 4. Eliminative Approaches to the First-Person Perspective ; Daniel Dennett on Consciousness ; Thomas Metzinger on a Self-Model Theory ; My Recommendation ; Ch. 5. Arguments Against First-Person Naturalization ; From First-Person Concepts to First-Person Properties ; A Linguistic Argument: A Complete Ontology Must Include First-Person Properties ; A Metaphysical Argument Against Ontological Naturalism ; Part II: An Account of the First-Person Perspective ; Ch. 6. From the Rudimentary to the Robust Stage of the First-Person Perspective ; The First-Person Perspective: Consciousness and Self-Consciousness ; Language and the Acquisition of Concepts ; How to Acquire a Self-Concept ; Human Persons: Wrap Up ; Ch. 7. Is the Idea of the First-Person Perspective Coherent? ; Personal Identity: A First-Personal Approach ; Objections and Replies ; Mark Johnston on the Self as Illusory ; Johnston's Critique Side-Stepped ; Ch. 8. A Metaphysical Framework for The First-Person Perspective ; First-Person Properties ; Dispositional Properties ; Haecceitistic Implications ; Ch. 9. Agents, Artifacts, Moral Responsibility: Some Contributions of the First-person Perspective ; Personhood ; Agency ; Artifacts ; Moral Responsibility ; Ch. 10. Natural Reality ; Near-Naturalism ; Property-Constitution and Causation ; Emergentism and Downward Causation ; How Naturalistic is Near-Naturalism? ; Index

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Book SynopsisWhat is meant by scientific evidence, and how can a definition of this concept be applied in the sciences to determine whether observed facts constitute evidence that a given theory is true?In this book, Peter Achinstein proposes and defends several objective concepts of evidence. He then explores the question of whether a scientific method, such as that represented in the four Rules for the Study of Natural Philosophy that Isaac Newton invoked in proving his law of gravity, can be employed in demonstrating how the proposed definitions of evidence are to be applied to real scientific cases. In answering this question, he offers a new interpretation of Newton''s controversial rules. Contrary to what many methodologists assume, whether the rules, so interpreted, can be used to determine whether observed phenomena provide evidence for a theory is an empirical question, not an a priori one. Finally, in order to deal with numerous cases in which evidence is insufficient to establish a theorTrade Review[T]he renowned philosopher of science Peter Achinstein focuses on the question whether observed phenomena constitute evidence that a theory is true. ...The book is clearly written, aims at a general audience and provides valuable insights into the works of these two icons of modern science. Thus, it is warmly recommended for the readers of Science & Education. * Science & Education *a significant contribution to what philosophers of science can learn from the methodologies of Newton and Maxwell. * William L. Harper, Metascience *Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1: A Problem about Evidence ; Chapter 2: Newton's Rules ; Chapter 3: Newtonian Extensions, a Rival, Justifying Induction, and Evidence ; Chapter 4: What to Do If You Cannot Establish a Theory: Maxwell's Three Methods

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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