Philosophy of science Books

Book Synopsis"Margaret Cavendish (1623–1673) is a fascinating figure who is getting increasing attention by historians of philosophy these days, and for good reason. . . . She’s an interesting advocate of a vitalist tradition emphasizing the inherent activity of matter, as well as its inherent perceptive faculties. She’s also the perfect character to open students (and their teachers) up to a different seventeenth century, and a different cast of philosophical characters. This is an ideal book to use in the classroom. The Philosophical Letters (1664) gives us Cavendish’s view of what was interesting and important in the philosophical world at that moment, a view of philosophy as it was at the time by an engaged participant. There are few documents like it in the history of philosophy. Deborah Boyle’s Introduction provides a very accessible summary of Cavendish’s natural philosophy, as well as good introductions to the other figures that Cavendish discusses in the book. Boyle’s annotations are not extensive, but they are a great help in guiding the student toward an informed reading of the texts." —Daniel Garber, Princeton UniversityTrade Review"Boyle’s new edition of Cavendish’s Philosophical Letters makes accessible in print this imagined correspondence between Cavendish and another woman about how Cavendish’s view compares to those of Descartes, Hobbes, More, and Van Helmont. Boyle’s excellent Introduction sets the work in its context with respect to modes of writing and the intellectual environment in which she wrote, to Cavendish’s philosophical system as it is developed across her writings, and to the views of those thinkers against which she positions herself. This edition is both scholarly and accessible. It will be valuable to those already familiar with Cavendish, and especially valuable to those just starting to incorporate Cavendish into their understanding of early modern philosophy.” —Lisa Shapiro, Simon Fraser University“Boyle argues, and succeeds in making the case, that the Letters can be read on their own and stand as a single work (not a scattered series of thoughts). This will almost certainly become the standard volume of Cavendish's Letters." —Stephen Barbone, San Diego State University

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Book SynopsisWhat role does gender play in scientific research and the development of technologies? This book provides methodological expertise, research experiences and empirical findings in the dynamic field of Science and Technology Studies. The authors, coming from computer science, social sciences, or cultural studies of science, discuss how to ask questions about gender and give examples for the application in interdisciplinary research, development and teaching. Topics range from the design of information and communication technologies, epistemologies of biology and chemistry to teaching mathematics and professional processes in engineering. Contributions by Anne Balsamo, Wendy Faulkner, Rebecca Jordan-Young, Barbara Orland, Els Rommes, and others.Trade ReviewBesprochen in: International Journal of Gender, Science and Technology, 8/2 (2016), Marie Larsson

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Book Synopsis"Our society has undergone a paradigm shift. In the information age, you and I are the alpha males," Dr Leonard Hofstadter, experimental physicist and protagonist of the hit sitcom "The Big Bang Theory", assures himself and his fellow scientists. The success of this and similar formats in American popular culture proves his point: Science has finally discovered the formula for cool. This interdisciplinary study examines how "cool", a key aesthetic and affective category in the American imagination, informs contemporary representations of technoscience. Analyzing selected audiovisual productions, Judith Kohlenberger sheds light on current processes of interaction between science and popular culture, two pivotal sources for change in post-industrial America.Trade Review"An important contribution to the study of American popular culture and will be a fixture in future discussions addressing the many permutations of cool." Susanne Hamscha, Amerikastudien, 62/1 (2017) "In her study, Kohlenberger succeeds in dissecting the multiple diverging relationships of science and coolness and provides a compelling analysis of a variety of media texts. This makes 'The New Formula for Cool' not only an important go-to for anyone interested in coolness studies, but also an important contribution to North American Studies and explorations of popular culture in general." Maria Sulimma, Zeitschrift für Anglistik und Amerikanistik, 65/2 (2017) "One can only hope that there will be a continuation and extension of the present engaging and remarkably informative study in the near future." Katarina Delikonstantinidou, European journal of American studies, 2 (2016)

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Book SynopsisUnderstanding the significance of genetic factors for our lives requires an analysis that goes beyond biological aspects. It is especially necessary to take into account how human beings relate to others and to themselves. Who we are is a result of social action and the ways in which human beings constitute themselves as subjects. Seen from this perspective, genetic medicine is a social practice that shapes how we think about us, how we conduct our behaviour and how we care for our children. This book scrutinises practices by which individuals become knowledgeable about their genes and constitute them as responsible decision makers.

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Book SynopsisGlobal, local, glocal reflecting on the area of world social science seems to be above all a matter of space. In these spatial dichotomies the global has no location and locations seem beyond this world. Discourses about world social science thought not only distinguish social thought along spaces where they are created. Space has become an attribute of thinking when social scientists reflect on the world of social thought: Southern, Western and Northern knowledge, the location in which thoughts are created, is not only a hint about the address of a thinker, but about the theoretical perspective through which social science thinkers look at social reality. Social thoughts are imagined as imprisoned in the spatial context in which they are created, and social science thinkers are imagined as representatives of spaces, whether these are defined politically, culturally, or in any other context in which their thoughts must be rooted as if the product of human minds was nothing but a voicing of the nature of spaces. And should we imagine the world social science arena, the encounter of all these spatially bound thoughts, as the encounter of many parochial knowledges that never manage to arrive at shared thoughts unless they already share the same spatial context? Why should we then at all meet each other? This book discusses examples of spatially constructed knowledges and the struggles these knowledges encounter as they seek to meet one another and escape from the mind prison of their spatial contexts. Or does the world social science arena after all only prove that the 'Western' dogma of contextualising social thought is a dead end road for social thought -- everywhere?Table of ContentsForeword Section I: Global Social Thought 1. Concepts that Hinder the Progress of Sociological Research: Identity as an Epistemological Obstacle, by Youssef Salameh 2. Isn't Anthropology Already a Multiversalist Discipline? Assessing the Status of Anthropology in Asia, by Nestor Castro 3. Indigenised while Internationalised? Tensions and Dilemmas in China's Modern Transformation of Social Sciences in an Age of Globalisation, by Rui Yang 4. 'Academic Dependence': The World Social Science Arena-a Battlefield among Parochial Thought?, by Michael Kuhn Section II: Spatialized Thought and Local Knowledge Production 5. Michel Foucault and the Postcolonial African Theory: A Critical Essay, by Leon-Marie Nkolo Ndjodo 6. Knowledge Production: A Perspective from the Periphery, by Carmen Bueno 7. Civilizational Encounter, Cultural Translation, and Social Reflexivity: A Note on the History of Sociology in Japan, by Shujiro Yazawa 8. The community of sociologists in Morocco facing the internationalization of knowledge, by Kamal Mellakh 9. Internationalization of Research in Lebanon: The case of the American University of Beirut, by Sari Hanafi, Rigas Avanitis, Justine Baer Section III: Culture in Global Knowledge Encounters 10. Culture as a Dimension in International Social Science Encounters, by Doris Weidemann 11. The Manifestation of Scientific Cultures: A Sociophilosophical Study of Islamic Scientific Tradition, by Alparslan Acikgenc 12. The Study of Culture within Alternative Vision, by Mahmoud Dhaouadi Section IV: Globalizing Local Social Thought 13. The Transformation Processes in Global Social Knowledge, by Hebe Vessuri 14. Can Peripheries Talk Back? Alternative Intellectual Trends in Tamil Nadu and their Possible Lessons for Knowledge-Making Practices outside Intellectual Power Centers, by Kumaran Rajagopal 15. How to Overcome "Oriental" Sociology?, by Ebrahim Towfigh, Shirin Ahmadnia Authors

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Book SynopsisThe future looks brighter than most people think! That is the conclusion of this book after a thorough investigation of present facts, trends and promises of science and technology. The world population will soon stop growing. The consequences of climate change will be far-reaching, but surmountable. Science and technology will, in the 21st century, make enormous progress. They are the shaping forces of the future. This book clearly explains the potential benefits and dangers of innovations from many area of research. Special attention is paid to the question whether and how mankind will try to improve itself beyond its natural capacities. The author is by profession a physicist. He worked at CERN and other research institutes in Europe and North America. His present primary interest is in historical research.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Professor Anatoly Buchachenko gives a brief and informative description of the most striking achievements and discoveries made in the major natural sciences at the turn of the century – in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. The author has a rare ability to describe scientific discoveries so that these achievements and their significance are understandable not only by professionals and scientists of all specialities, but for any reader interested in modern science, its role in the existence of mankind, and its impact on human society. Originally published in Russian, Professor Buchachenko’s book describes the interaction of natural sciences with social ones—philosophy and history—as well as the part played by the human factor in the development of science, especially the role of the great scientists. Table of ContentsScience.- Physics.- Mathematics.- Evolution.- Chemistry.- Biology.- Intelligence.- History.- Philosophy.- Aesthetics of Science.

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This Will Change Everything offers seemingly radical but actually feasible ideas with the potential to change the world. " -- Jared Diamond, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Guns, Germs, and Steel

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Book SynopsisMathematics plays a central role in much of contemporary science, but philosophers have struggled to understand what this role is or how significant it might be for mathematics and science. In this book Christopher Pincock tackles this perennial question in a new way by asking how mathematics contributes to the success of our best scientific representations. In the first part of the book this question is posed and sharpened using a proposal for how we can determine the content of a scientific representation. Several different sorts of contributions from mathematics are then articulated. Pincock argues that each contribution can be understood as broadly epistemic, so that what mathematics ultimately contributes to science is best connected with our scientific knowledge. In the second part of the book, Pincock critically evaluates alternative approaches to the role of mathematics in science. These include the potential benefits for scientific discovery and scientific explanation. A majorTrade Reviewa rare and fairly comprehensive philosophical account of the success of mathematics in science and after reading it you may be left with the impression that something like this should have been published years ago. This book is a major contribution to an otherwise underdeveloped area in the philosophy of science and is most likely to be well referenced ... this book is at the cutting-edge. * Stuart Rowlands, Science & Education *Mathematics and Scientific Representation is an engaging piece of contemporary philosophy of mathematics and science. Its deeply science-informed approach and focus on applied mathematics, with an aim to seriously tackle also more traditional issues in philosophy of mathematics, exemplify exciting and fertile scholarly 'border-hopping'. * Juha Saatsi, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *Pincocks writing style is engaging, and the book is structured in a way that makes it easy to follow the contours of the main lines of argumentan...an impressive book and one that repays detailed reading and re-reading. * Alan Baker, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *Pincock's book is an excellent analysis of some of the most important topics in philosophy of science and philosophy of mathematics, and is well worth a read for any philosopher interested in the issue of mathematical application. * Ashley Graham Kennedy, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science *Table of Contents1 Introduction ; 1.1 A Problem ; 1.2 Classifying Contributions ; 1.3 An Epistemic Solution ; 1.4 Explanatory Contributions ; 1.5 Other Approaches ; 1.6 Interpretative Flexibility ; 1.7 Key Claims ; I Epistemic Contributions ; 2 Content and Confirmation ; 2.1 Concepts ; 2.2 Basic Contents ; 2.3 Enriched Contents ; 2.4 Schematic and Genuine Contents ; 2.5 Inference ; 2.6 Core Conceptions ; 2.7 Intrinsic and Extrinsic ; 2.8 Confirmation Theory ; 2.9 Prior Probabilities ; 3 Causes ; 3.1 Accounts of Causation ; 3.2 A Causal Representation ; 3.3 Some Acausal Representations ; 3.4 The Value of Acausal Representations ; 3.5 Batterman and Wilson ; 4 Varying Interpretations ; 4.1 Abstraction as Variation ; 4.2 Irrotational Fluids and Electrostatics ; 4.3 Shock Waves ; 4.4 The Value of Varying Interpretations ; 4.5 Varying Interpretations and Discovery ; 4.6 The Toolkit of Applied Mathematics ; 5 Scale Matters ; 5.1 Scale and ScientificRepresentation ; 5.2 Scale Separation ; 5.3 Scale Similarity ; 5.4 Scale and Idealization ; 5.5 Perturbation Theory ; 5.6 Multiple Scales ; 5.7 Interpreting Multiscale Representations ; 5.8 Summary ; 6 Constitutive Frameworks ; 6.1 A Different Kind of Contribution ; 6.2 Carnap's Linguistic Frameworks ; 6.3 Kuhn's Paradigms ; 6.4 Friedman on the Relative A Priori ; 6.5 The Need for Constitutive Representations ; 6.6 The Need for the Absolute A Priori ; 7 Failures ; 7.1 Mathematics and Scientific Failure ; 7.2 Completeness and Segmentation Illusions ; 7.3 The Parameter Illusion ; 7.4 Illusions of Scale ; 7.5 Illusions of Traction ; 7.6 Causal Illusions ; 7.7 Finding the Scope of a Representation ; II Other Contributions ; 8 Discovery ; 8.1 Semantic and Metaphysical Problems ; 8.2 A Descriptive Problem ; 8.3 Description and Discovery ; 8.4 Defending Naturalism ; 8.5 Natural Kinds ; 9 Indispensability ; 9.1 Descriptive Contributions and Pure Mathematics ; 9.2 Quine and Putnam ; 9.3 Against the Platonist Conclusion ; 9.4 Colyvan ; 10 Explanation ; 10.1 Explanatory Contributions ; 10.2 Inference to the Best Mathematical Explanation ; 10.3 Belief and Understanding ; 11 The Rainbow ; 11.1 Asymptotic Explanation ; 11.2 Angle and Color ; 11.3 Explanatory Power ; 11.4 Supernumerary Bows ; 11.5 Interpretation and Scope ; 11.6 Batterman and Belot ; 11.7 Looking Ahead ; 12 Fictionalism 413 ; 12.1 Motivations ; 12.2 Literary Fiction ; 12.3 Mathematics ; 12.4 Models ; 12.5 Understanding and Truth ; 13 Facades ; 13.1 Physical and Mathematical Concepts ; 13.2 Against Semantic Finality ; 13.3 Developing and Connecting Patches ; 13.4 A New Approach to Content ; 13.5 Azzouni and Rayo ; 14 Conclusion: Pure Mathematics ; 14.1 Taking Stock ; 14.2 Metaphysics . ; 14.3 Structuralism ; 14.4 Epistemology ; 14.5 Peacocke and Jenkins ; 14.6 Historical Extensions ; 14.7 Non-conceptual Justification ; 14.8 Past and Future ; Appendices ; A Method of Characteristics ; B Black-Scholes Model ; C Speed of Sound ; D Two Proofs of Euler's Formula

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Book SynopsisDrawing on scientific research and logical argument James Jones directly confronts the claims that cognitive science can eliminate, or debunk, religion. He provides an accessibly written, persuasive account of why these claims are not convincing.Trade Review[T]his volume will be useful to students and scholars alike interested in deepening their engagement with the field of cognitive approaches to religion and will be a useful addition to course or module materials for students studying in this area. * Paul-François Tremlett, Religion *certainly deserves the attention of the general public, and offers a welcome antidote to the misrepresentations of cognitive science of religion * Tom Uytterhoeven, ESSSAT *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Introduction: A Voice from the Border of Religion and Science ; Chapter One: Explanations -How Science Seeks to Explain Religion ; Chapter Two: Explaining-What does it Mean to Explain Religion? ; Chapter Three: Physicalism-Is a Purely Physicalist Account Compelling? ; Chapter Four: Beyond Physicalism-Mind and Nature ; Chapter Five: Our Pluralistic Universe - Living on the Border of Science and Religion ; Appendix: Sources, References, and Further Discussions ; Bibliography of Sources Used In Preparing the Text

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Book SynopsisIn Systematicity, Paul Hoyningen-Huene answers the question What is science? by proposing that scientific knowledge is primarily distinguished from other forms of knowledge, especially everyday knowledge, by being more systematic. Science is here understood in the broadest possible sense, encompassing not only the natural sciences but also mathematics, the social sciences, and the humanities. The author develops his thesis in nine dimensions in which it is claimed that science is more systematic than other forms of knowledge: regarding descriptions, explanations, predictions, the defense of knowledge claims, critical discourse, epistemic connectedness, an ideal of completeness, knowledge generation, and the representation of knowledge. He compares his view with positions on the question held by philosophers from Aristotle to Nicholas Rescher. The book concludes with an exploration of some consequences of Hoyningen-Huene''s view concerning the genesis and dynamics of science, the relationship of science and common sense, normative implications of the thesis, and the demarcation criterion between science and pseudo-science.Trade ReviewSystematicity constitutes a welcome contribution to the general philosophy of science. The research agenda for general philosophy of science has been shifting over the last three decades as many philosophers of science have focused on issues in the philosophy of the special sciences, philosophy of physics, philosophy of biology, and the like. In Systematicity, Hoyningen-Huene shows that there is still important and interesting work to be done in general philosophy of science. One leaves the book with a deeper appreciation for the nature of science, as the subtitle suggests, and why science rightly holds the important place it does in contemporary Western cultures. The book has the marks of being written by a mature scholar, erudite, wide ranging, and carefully argued. * K. Brad Wray, Metascience *Hoyningen-Huene presents a thought-provoking image of science that is very useful for the debate on the nature of science within science education. * Esther M. van Dijk, Science & Education *provides a fresh perspective on science ... Recommended. * V.V. Raman, CHOICE *This is a well-organized, well-written, and compellingly argued text on a topic of considerable importance. * Travis Dumsday, Review of Metaphysics *This book is a pleasure to read. It is well written, delicately crafted, scrupulously sign-posted, and very carefully and closely argued including of course the appropriate hedging at crucial points. Its perspective on the histories of both Science and philosophy is expansive, and its author strikes an impeccably impartial tone on disputes that are purely intramural in characteror irrelevant to the subject at hand. * Mariam Thalos, Mind *Table of ContentsPreface ; 1 Introduction ; 1.1 Historical Remarks ; 1.2 The Question "What Is Science?" in Focus ; 2 The Main Thesis ; 2.1 Science and Systematicity ; A) A Little History ; B) Preliminary Remarks ; 2.2 The Concept of Systematicity ; 2.3 The Structure of the Argument ; 3 The Systematicity of Science Unfolded ; 3.1 Descriptions ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Axiomatization ; C) Classification, Taxonomy, and Nomenclature ; D) Periodization ; E) Quantification ; F) Empirical Generalizations ; G) Historical Descriptions ; 3.2 Explanations ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Explanations Using Empirical Generalizations ; C) Explanations Using Theories ; D) Explanations of Human Actions ; E) Reductive Explanations ; F) Historical Explanations ; G) Explanation and Understanding in the Humanities in General ; H) Explanations in the Study of Literature ; 3.3 Predictions ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Predictions Based on Empirical Regularities of the Data in Question ; C) Predictions Based on Correlations with Other Data Sets ; D) Predictions Based on (Fundamental) Theories or Laws ; E) Predictions Based on Models ; F) Predictions Based on Delphi Methods ; 3.4 The Defense of Knowledge Claims ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Non-Evidential Considerations ; C) Empirical Generalizations, Models, and Theories ; D) Causal Influence ; E) The Verum Factum Principle ; F) The Role of Mathematics in the Sciences ; G) Historical Sciences ; 3.5 Critical Discourse ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Norms and Institutions ; C) Practices in Science Fostering Critical Discourse ; 3.6. Epistemic Connectedness ; A) Preliminaries: The Problem ; B) Failing Answers ; C) The Concept of Epistemic Connectedness ; D) Revisiting the Examples ; 3.7 The Ideal of Completeness ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Examples ; 3.8 The Generation of New Knowledge ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Data Collection ; C) The Exploitation of Knowledge from Other Domains ; D) The Generation of New Knowledge as an Autocatalytic Process ; 3.9 The Representation of Knowledge ; A) Some Preliminaries ; B) Examples ; 4 Comparison with Other Positions ; 4.1 Aristotle ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.2 Rene Descartes ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.3 Immanuel Kant ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.4 Logical Empiricism ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.5 Karl R. Popper ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.6 Thomas S. Kuhn ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.7 Paul K. Feyerabend ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 4.8 Nicholas Rescher ; A) The Position ; B) Comparison with Systematicity Theory ; 5 Consequences for Scientific Knowledge ; 5.1 The Genesis and Dynamics of Science ; A) Conceptual Clarifications ; B) The Genesis of a Science ; C) The Dynamics of Science ; 5.2 Science and Common Sense ; A) The Preservation of Common Sense ; B) The Deviations from Common Sense ; C) Additional Remarks ; 5.3 Normative Consequences ; 5.4 Demarcation from Pseudo-Science ; A) A Little History ; B) Systematicity Theory's Demarcation Criterion ; 6 Conclusion ; Notes ; Literature ; Literature

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Book SynopsisWas Plato a Pythagorean? Plato''s students and earliest critics thought so, but scholars since the nineteenth century have been more skeptical. With this probing study, Phillip Sidney Horky argues that a specific type of Pythagorean philosophy, called mathematical Pythagoreanism, exercised a decisive influence on fundamental aspects of Plato''s philosophy. The progenitor of mathematical Pythagoreanism was the infamous Pythagorean heretic and political revolutionary Hippasus of Metapontum, a student of Pythagoras who is credited with experiments in harmonics that led to innovations in mathematics. The innovations of Hippasus and other mathematical Pythagoreans, including Empedocles of Agrigentum, Epicharmus of Syracuse, Philolaus of Croton, and Archytas of Tarentum, presented philosophers like Plato with novel ways to reconcile empirical knowledge with abstract mathematical theories. Plato and Pythagoreanism demonstrates how mathematical Pythagoreanism established many of the fundamentaTrade ReviewPhilip S. Horky's Plato and Pythagoreanism is both deeply insightful and actually pleasant to read ... it is a great success. * Michael Weinman, Archai Journal: On the Origins of Western Thought *This is an inspiring book, widening the view on the Pythagoreans and their concept of number. The material is perfectly organized. * Volker Peckhaus, Zentralblatt MATH *This impressive work is crucial reading for students of early Pythagoreanism... Essential. * Choice *Plato and Pythagoreanism is a most interesting study, from which I learned a good deal and derived much pleasure. Horky sets out here to investigate the nature and extent of the influence on Plato and the Academy of that tradition within early Pythagoreanism which may be termed 'mathematical.' Despite the sketchy nature of the evidence, Horky proves his argument sufficiently to make this an important contribution to scholarship. * John Dillon, Trinity College Dublin *Horky's wide-ranging and meticulously researched Plato and Pythagoreanism provides an important contribution to our understanding of the doxographical traditions and the ongoing dialectic between the Greek philosophers of the fifth and fourth century BCE by engaging with some of the lesser known -- but no less interesting -- 'mathematical Pythagoreans' and systematically presenting their transformative influence on Plato's philosophy. This book deserves close attention from any student in ancient philosophy. * Mariska Leunissen, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill *A trail-blazing effort to collect, summarize, and relate scattered pieces of information that have too often been ignored or dismissed in the past.... The early Pythagoreans are neither lost to history nor boring nor well understood. Horky invites us to see them with fresh eyes. * Joseph G. Miller, HOPOS: The Journal of the International Society for the History of Philosophy of Science *A fascinating, intelligent, and effective book.... By applying novel approaches to an old question, Horky has provided scholarship with a very remarkable contribution. * Federico M. Petrucci, The Journal of the History of Philosophy *Approached in the right order and with due scholarly caution.... The study as a whole is of uniformly high quality. * Simon Trepanier, Bryn Mawr Classical Review *It will be a standard text for those who are interested in Plato and Pythagoreanism, and especially for those of us interested in their connection. * Michael Weinman, Archai *Table of ContentsContents ; Acknowledgements ; Abbreviations ; Preface ; Chapter 1: Aristotle on Mathematical Pythagoreanism in the 4th Century BCE ; Chapter 2: Hippasus of Metapontum and Mathematical Pythagoreanism ; Chapter 3: Exoterism and the History of Pythagorean Politics ; Chapter 4: Mathematical Pythagoreanism and Plato's Cratylus ; Chapter 5: What is Wisest? Mathematical Pythagoreanism and Plato's Phaedo ; Chapter 6: The Method of the Gods: Mathematical Pythagoreanism and Discovery ; Afterword ; Index Locorum ; Bibliography ; General Index

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Book SynopsisJoining the ancient debate over the roles of reason and appetite in the moral mind, In Praise of Desire takes the side of appetite. The book makes the claim that acting for moral reasons, acting in a praiseworthy manner, and acting out of virtue amount to nothing more than acting out of intrinsic desires for the right or the good, correctly conceived. In Praise of Desire shows that a desire-centered moral psychology can be richer than philosophers commonly think, accommodating the full complexity of moral life.Trade ReviewPraise of Desire combines Arpaly and Schroeder's treat strengths to produce a book populated with engaging and naturalistic examples, argued with great systematic sophistication... The authors powerfully illuminate the nature and importance of the role played by the aspect under which we undertake actions in determining whether we count as responding fittingly to the situations in which we find ourselves and the amount of praise and blame due us for doing so. * Justin Jennings, Journal of Moral Philosophy *The great accomplishment of In Praise of Desire is that it shows that a robust theory of virtue and moral responsibility can be founded on a behavioral and neural basis. As such, it is an excellent contribution to moral psychology. * Polaris Koi, doctoral candidate in Philosophy at the University of Turku, Finland, Metapsychology *pleasingly forthright and readable book...As Arpaly and Schroeder say in their conclusion, their aim has been to spark a debate rather than provide a final theory. With its integration of considerations from ethics, philosophy of mind and the empirical science, this book provides an excellent beginning. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews Online *... is a fantastic book. Its ambitions are high, its arguments are insightful and its prose is clear and crisp. I recommend it in the highest possible terms to anyone working on the intersections of moral psychology, philosophy of action, philosophy of mind, practical reason, and normative ethics. * Ethics *...I think the book is impressive, necessary reading for all moral psychologists and appropriate for a graduate (or sophisticated undergraduate) seminar on moral psychology. * Analysis *This book makes an important contribution to the literature supporting the kind of position the authors favour, but beyond that, virtually all the topics covered, whether or not structural parts of the authors' larger argument, involve philosophically interesting discussions very much worth considering. * Mind *Table of ContentsIntroduction Section I: Reason Chapter 1: Deliberation Chapter 2: How Deliberation Works Chapter 3: Thinking and Acting for Reasons Section II: Desire Chapter 4: Love and Care Chapter 5: What Desires Are Not Chapter 6: What Desires Are Section III: Virtue Chapter 7: Credit and Blame Chapter 8: Virtue Chapter 9: Virtue and Cognition Section IV: Puzzles Chapter 10: Inner Struggle Chapter 11: Addiction Conclusion Works Cited Index

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Book Synopsis''He''s the man who taught computers how to have sex. And now, for an encore, he''s working on a theory to explain the complexity of life and its myriad manifestations on planet earth.'' New York Times In this book, one of today''s most innovative thinkers, John H. Holland, explains the theory of emergencea simple theory that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Emergence demonstrates that a small number of rules or laws can generate incredibly complex systems. From the checkers-playing computer that learnt to beat its creator again and again, to a fertilized egg that can program the development of a trillion-cell organism, to the ant colonies that build bridges over chasms and navigate leaf-boats on streams, this fascinating and groundbreaking book contains wide-ranging implications for science, business, and the arts. ''John Holland is an exceptionally imaginative person. Often surprising, and always engaging, he takes the reader on a journey from simplicity to complexityTable of ContentsLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS; PREFACE; 1. BEFORE WE PROCEED; 2. GAMES AND NUMBERS; 3. MAPS, GAME THEORY, AND COMPUTER-BASED MODELLING; 4. CHECKERS; 5. NEURAL NETS; 6. TOWARD A GENERAL SETTING; 7. CONSTRAINED GENERATING PROCEDURES; 8. SAMUEL'S CHECKERSPLAYER; 9. VARIATION; 10. LEVELS OF DESCRIPTION AND REDUCTION; 11. METAPHOR AND INNOVATION; 12. CLOSING; REFERENCES; INDEX.

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Book SynopsisThis is a paper edition of a book published in 1991. The author explores issues in the philosophy of science that relate to the methodology of economics.Trade Reviewimportant book ... providing economists, social scientists, and historians with the necessary background to discuss methodological matters with authority * University Press Book News *

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Book Synopsis`This is a most persuasive book on a most important subject. I recommend it highly.'' Saul Bellow With scholarship and clarity, Arthur Zajonc takes us on an epic journey into scientific history. Yet Catching the Light is not just about science; it is a book of ideas that blends science with literature, religion, philosophy, and morality and tries to answer the question that has mystified humanity from pre-history to the present day: what is light?Trade Review`a multi-levelled history about virtually everything that human beings have thought about light and seeing in the last three thousand years... ...I have not enjoyed a book so much for a long time. Oliver Sacks`a small gem of a book' James Gleik, Washington Post

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Book SynopsisThis book explains the relevant technical issues of general relativity theory and discusses how these issues bear upon philosophical problems about the nature of space and time, causality, and laws of nature. The first book to address these implications critically, it provides an overview of the technical literature as well as analytical commentary on its philosophical significance.Trade Review...this book is a refreshing addition to the literature for we find that Earman not only provides excellent discussions but also clarifies (or in some instances re-defines) the standard definitions involved...the book is highly recommended. * AAHPSSS, 1998 *Earman provides a careful topographic analysis of some core regions that is written in a brilliant style. * Vienna Circle Institute Yearbook 1998 *Table of Contents1. Introducing Spacetime Singularities and Acausalities ; 2. Defining, Characterizing, and Proving the Existence ; 3. Cosmic Censorship ; 4. Supertasks ; 5. The Big Bang and the Horizon Problem ; 6. Time Travel ; 7. Eternal; Recurrence, Cyclic Time, and All That ; 8. Afterword

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Book SynopsisUncommon Sense is an innovative and lively examination of science and its historical development as an unnatural mode of thought. This book looks at why science developed in the West and what its implications have been for our society. This book will also challenge many assumptions about the nature and role of science in our world. Professor of Physics, Alan Cromer, examines not only the history of science and its unique mode of thought but also the way that science is taught and suggests ways of restructuring the curriculum.Uncommon Sense is an illuminating look at science, filled with provocative observations. Whether challenging Thomas Kuhn''s theory of scientific revolutions, or extolling the virtues of Euclid''s Elements, Alan Cromer is always insightful, outspoken, and refreshingly original.Trade Review... this book is a healthy antidote to all the deconstructing of the remarkable achievements of Western science that is going on in modern academic life. * Harold Morowitz, Nature *Table of ContentsAspects of Science; Mind and Magic; From Apes to Agriculture; Prophets and Poets; Theorems and Planets; Sages and Scholars; Towns and Gowns; Science and Nonsense; Are we Alone?; Education for an Age of Science; Appendix A: Hindu Trigonometry; Appendix B: An Integrated Science Course.

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Book SynopsisMolecular biology as a distinct scientific discipline had its origins in chemistry and physical biochemistry, gradually emerging in the period between 1930 and the elucidation of DNA in the mid 1950s. Today this field has risen to a dominant position, and with its focus on deciphering genetic structure, it has endowed scientists with unprecedented power over life. In this fascinating study, however, Lily Kay argues that molecular biology did not evolve in a random fashion but, rather, was the result of systematic efforts by key scientists and their supporting foundations to direct the development of biological research toward a preconceived vision of science and society. The author traces and analyses the conceptual roots of molecular biology and the social matrix in which it was developed, focusing on the role of leading researchers headquartered at Caltech, and on the Rockefeller Foundation''s sponsorship of the new science. The study thus explores a number of vital, sometimes controTrade Reviewthe book has the great merit to give insight in the expectation of young American scientists and in what troubles their minds! * Cellular and Molecular Biology, vol.43, no.5, July 1997 *Table of Contents1. "Social Control:" the Rockefeller Foundation's Agenda in the Human Sciences, 1913-1933 ; 2. The Technological Frontier: Southern California and the Emergence of Life Science at Caltech ; 3. Visions and Realitites: The Biology Division in the Morgan Era ; Interlude 1 - The Protein Paradigm ; 4. From Flies to Molecules: Physiological Genetics in the Morgan Era ; 5. A Convergence of Goals: From Physical Chemistry to Bio-Organic Chemistry ; 6. The Spoils of War: Immunochemistry and Serological Genetics, 1940-1945 ; 7. Microorganisms and Macromanagement: Beadle's Return to Caltech ; 8. The Molecular Empire

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Book SynopsisFor many of us, the great scientific discoveries of the modern age -- the Big Bang, evolution, quantum physics, relativity -- point to an existence that is bleak, devoid of meaning, pointless. But in The Sacred Depths of Nature, eminent biologist Ursula Goodenough shows us that the scientific world view need not be a source of despair. Indeed, it can be a wellspring of solace and hope. This eloquent volume reconciles the modern scientific understanding of reality with our timeless spiritual yearnings for reverence and continuity. Looking at topics such as evolution, emotions, sexuality, and death, Goodenough writes with rich, uncluttered detail about the workings of nature in general and of living creatures in particular. Her luminous clarity makes it possible for even non scientists to appreciate that the origins of life and the universe are no less meaningful because of our increasingly scientific understanding of them. At the end of each chapter, Goodenough''s spiritual reflections Trade ReviewThe groundwork for a religious naturalism is superbly laid - in this respect the detail and precision with which she [Goodenough] presents the context of our human experience is an important advance on previous authors. The structure of her book is also an important innovation, in its alternation of third-person and first-person perspectives. Most importantly of all, she presents a highly coherent case for the possibility of a planetary ethic which bypasses the authority of scriptural tradition deriving its authority instead from science * Ecotheology *

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Roy Sorensen presents the first general theory of the thought experiment. He analyses a wide variety of thought experiments, ranging from aesthetics to zoology, and explores what thought experiments are, how they work, and what their positive and negative aspects are. Sorensen also sets his theory within an evolutionary framework and integrates recent advances in experimental psychology and the history of science.Trade Reviewstimulating ... written in a vivid jaunty style ... The array of philosophical positions and teh many examples are presented with such clarity and freshness ... that this book can be recommended both as an unusual but engaging introduction to philosophy and as a sensitive analysis and defence of the cognitive power of thought experiments. * Times Higher Education Supplement *simply and clearly written, and virtually all of it is instructive and enjoyable to read. * George Schlesinger, University of North Carolina *Roy A. Sorensen's book is a useful collection of reflections on the definition and logic of thought experiments. It contains some splendid examples ... There are painstaking lists of respects in which thought experiments are, and are not, like ordinary experiments. * Simon Blackburn, Times Literary Supplement *Roy Sorensen's aim in his stimulating book is to demystify and defend the place of thought experiments in both science and philosophy ... This book is written in a vivid, jaunty style ... There is sustained argument, but also rapid movement from one case to another. The array of philosophical positions and the many examples are presented with such clarity and freshness, however, that this book can be recommended both as an unusual but engaging introduction to philosophy and as a sensitive analysis and defence of the cognitive power of thought experiments. * Times Higher Education Supplement *The book is tightly reasoned, and written in an engaging, often jocular style, Sorensen advances and defends his model in the manner of someone sincerely and pragmatically seeking comprehension, and is never didactic or ponderous. * James W. McAllister, University of Leiden, Mind, Vol. 102, No. 408, Oct '93 *The first full-scale treatment of thought experiments ... The book is clearly written and largely nontechnical. It bears on the nature of theorizing in general, owing to its careful treatment of a wide range of cases of theoretical activity. Recommended for all libraries. * Choice *[An] important new book ... Sorensen articulates what is sure to become one of the central views about thought experiments, but he also provides an excellent introduction to this wonderful subject. The topic has rather suddenly become a growth industry. Besides its other virtues, Roy Sorensen's Thought Experiments also offers a very good leg in. * Canadian Journal of Philosophy *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Our Most Curious Device ; 2. Scepticism About Thought Experiments ; 3. Mach and Inner Cognitive Africa ; 4. The Wonder of Armchair Inquiry ; 5. Kuhntradictions ; 6. The Logical Structure of Thought Experiment ; 7. Conflict Vagueness and Precisification ; 8. The Evolution of Thought Experiment ; 9. Are Thought Experiments? ; 10. Fallacies and Antifallacies ; Notes ; Select Bibliography ; Subject Index ; Name Index

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Book SynopsisThis book brings together an impressive group of leading scholars in the sciences of complexity, and a few workers on the interface of science and religion, to explore the wider implications of complexity studies. It includes an introduction to complexity studies and explores the concept of information in physics and biology and various philosophical and religious perspectives. Chapter authors include Paul Davies, Greg Chaitin, Charles Bennett, Werner Loewenstein, Paul Dembski, Ian Stewart, Stuart Kauffman, Harold Morowitz, Arthur Peacocke, and Niels H. Gregersen.Trade ReviewMelanie Mitchell's book is most enjoyable, truly inspiring, skillfully written, and, above all, beautifully clear. The author's enthusiasm and passion for the field make the book fascinating to read. Her rigor, clarity, and healthy skepticism make the book sound and the field scientifically stronger. It is an excellent and rigorous account of the scientific field of complexity. She proves by example that it is possible to explain complex systems science with rigor, breadth, depth, and - above all - exquisite clarity * Artificial Life *Table of ContentsPart 1: Introduction ; 1. Towards an Emergentist Worldview ; Part 2: Defining Complexity ; 2. Randomness and Mathematical Proof ; 3. "How to define Complexity in Physics, and Why?" ; Part 3: The Concept of Information in Physics and Biology ; 4. The Emergence of Autonomous Agents ; 5. Complexity and The Arrow of Time ; 6. Can Evolutionary Algorithms Generate Specified Complexity? ; 7. The Second Law of Thermodynamics and the Fourth Law of Thermodynamics ; 8. Two Arrows from a Mighty Bow ; Part 4: Philosophical and Religious Perspectives ; 9. Emergence of Transcendence ; 10. Complexity, Emergence and Divine Creativity ; 11. From Anthropic Design to Self-Organized Complexity

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Book SynopsisDa Costa and French explore the consequences of adopting a pragmatic notion of truth in the philosophy of science--in other words, accepting a theory as valid when it may only be partially true rather than wholly true. Their framework sheds new light on issues dealing with belief, theory acceptance, and the realism-antirealism debate, as well as the nature of scientific models and their heuristic development.Trade ReviewThis is an important book. It summarizes and connects significant recent developments in several areas of philosophy, and develops a coherent approach to a well defined and important problem. * The Review of Metaphysics *

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Book SynopsisCity of Light tells the story of fiber optics, tracing its transformation from 19th-century parlor trick into the foundation of our global communications network. Written for a broad audience by a journalist who has covered the field for twenty years, the book is a lively account of both the people and the ideas behind this revolutionary technology. The basic concept underlying fiber optics was first explored in the 1840s when researchers used jets of water to guide light in laboratory demonstrations. The idea caught the public eye decades later when it was used to create stunning illuminated fountains at many of the great Victorian exhibitions. The modern version of fiber optics--using flexible glass fibers to transmit light--was discovered independently five times through the first half of the century, and one of its first key applications was the endoscope, which for the first time allowed physicians to look inside the body without surgery. Endoscopes became practical in 1956 when Trade Review"In this deft history, Hecht, a writer for the British weekly New Scientist, shows how the illuminated fountains that thrilled crowds at the great 19th-century exhibitions convinced scientists that light can be guided along narrow tubes. In our century, scientists used these tubes of light first to look inside the human body and then, as the physics of wave transmission were better understood, to transmit audio and optical information. Hecht explains which technological advances have made fiber optics the backbone of our telephone system in the last 10-15 years and how everyday applications should increase exponentially once fibers are connected directly to our homes. . .[g]eneral science buffs should enjoy his account of the development of the technology that will change our lives in many unexpected ways in the next century." --Publishers Weekly"Jeff Hecht brings to life the people, the competition, and the human drama behind this technological breakthrough. Prepare yourself for a delightful read as you discover what made the global village called the City of Light a reality whose potential for social change is still being fathomed." --Richard N. Zare, Marguerite Blake Wilbur Professor in Natural Science, Department of Chemistry, Stanford University"This book is a revelation and ranks with the best popular writing on science and technology. Jeff Hecht's meticulous research proves that even our newest technologies have a long past. His book tells the enthralling story of fiber optics, used today in nearly every facet of life, from transmitting digitized data to peering into and even operating on the human body. With an eye for forceful personalities, innovators and visionaries, he takes us from the birth of fiber optics in Victorian light-guiding parlor tricks and illuminated fountains to the Information Age, with limitless quantities of pure information coruscating globally along beams of light in glass fibers. Hecht embraces the human drama of the inventors with all their successes and foibles and transforms the city of light into an entertaining and illuminating celebration." --Martin C. Carey, Harvard University Medical School, Senior Physician at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston"This is one of the best popular books on a technical subject I have ever seen. It is written in a lively style and it covers all parts of the optical fiber story, from the very beginning to the present days, and, amazingly, all over the world." --Laszlo Solymar, Professor of Applied Electromagnetism, University of Oxford"A marvelous chronicle of fiber optics technology which in large measure has created the Information Age. Jeff Hecht has not only presented the history of this remarkable technology--uncovering threads which I did not know--but captured the drama and human aspects which make this an interesting read for anyone. All the celebrities are here, each building on the other's foundation." --Donald B. Keck, Division Vice President, Director of Optics & Photonics, Corning, Inc"As research manager responsible for the teams at STL who pioneered the use of optical fibres for communications, I can say with confidence that this book is a most carefully researched, very comprehensive and balanced account of world-wide success and failure. It makes fascinating and delightful reading." --Charles Sandbank, Department of Trade and Industry, United Kingdom, and Visiting Professor of Information Systems Design, University of Bradford"An engineer by training, New Scientist correspondent Hecht explores the history of fiber optics in this interesting and far-reaching study. Beginning in Victorian Europe, his chronology traces the complex but fascinating drama of one of the key elements in today's global telecommunications explosion. . . . This readable, well-documented, and scholarly text includes an informative glossary of names and a concise reference to fiber-optic development. Highly recommended for all public and academic libraries."--Library Journal"In his latest book, City of Light . . . , science writer Jeff Hecht expertly tells the story of the painstaking discovery, rapid development, and remarkable applications of optical fibers. Hecht, a veteran contributing editor to Laser Focus World, has covered fiberoptic technology for more than 20 years. His book, the latest addition to Oxford's splendid Sloan Technology Series, traces the story of fiberoptics from a Victorian parlor trick to the foundation of today's global communications network. I strongly recommend City of Light for your own bookshelf and for anyone with an interest in communications."--Laser Focus World"The technology of optical-fibre communications is arguably one of the most spectacular developments of the late 20th century. It touches all of our lives on a daily basis, and has created the worldwide communications that we all take for granted and that we expect to supply all our future needs. It is surprising, then, how little attention this remarkable story of fibre optics has received. This book makes an excellent start at redressing the balance. It provides for the first time a complete chronicle of the technology over the last 150 years, concentrating on the years to 1983. . . . This book will show you how this position has been achieved, who the main characters were, and how they were inspired by visions of the future that we now occupy. All in all, the author presents a wonderfully rich story that has been painstakingly researched and contains some excellent source notes."--Physics World"This is the story of fiber optics, tracing its transformation from nineteenth century parlor trick into the foundation of our global communications network. Written for a broad audience by Hecht, an engineer and the Boston correspondent for New Scientist, who has covered the field for twenty years. The book is a lively account of both the people and the ideas behind this revolutionary technology. The basic concept underlying fiber optics was first explored in the 1840s when researchers used jets of water to guide light in laboratory demonstrations. The idea caught the public eye decades later when it was used to create stunning illuminated fountains at many of the great Victorian exhibitions. . . . In 1988, the first transatlantic fiber-optic cable connected Europe with North America, and now fiber optics is the key element in global communications."--Science Writers"Jeff Hecht's fascinating account of this undersung technology goes back 150 years to find the origins of fiber optics. Then he chronicles the many ingenious and determined engineers who fashioned it into a technology that festoons the globe with cables carrying pulses of photons. It was harder than pioneering copper links because supplanting an existing technology needs more persuasion than establishing the first one. And there was competition from the satellite industry, as well as unexpected setbacks, such as sharks who ignored copper but chewed fiber optic cables. Hecht tells a good tale, combining a light journalistic touch with a scholarly knowledge of the industry he has covered for over two decades. The story is not over yet, but this is a rich account of how we got this far in a technology that really has fueled a revolution."--Jon Turney at Amazon.co.uk"The most powerful argument against monopoly is not that it inflates its owners' profit . . . , but rather that it retards innovation. . . . The decision of the British Post Office to pursue the new technology; the discoveries by Corning Glass of new pure fiber materials; the advent of the semiconductor laser as a source of light . . . ; the rapid progress of the late 1970s . . . ; the climactic decision in 1984 of MCI to install a transcontinental fiber network in North America--all these developments in some sense flowed out of half-a-dozen years of missionary zeal by [Charles] Kao . . . This is the story to be gleaned from 'City of Light: The Story of Fiber Optics,' by Jeff Hecht . . . [I]t is clear . . . that he has written an authoritative history of an otherwise all-but-invisible industry. . . . The overwhelming moral here is that large numbers of persons are involved in the accomplishment of any significant innovation-not a solitary 'inventor' or two."--Chicago Tribune"Hecht's narrative is a model of the sort--exactly what might have been hoped from a writer who covered the industry for 25 years for trade publications, yet who retains both the detachment and perspective necessary to put a narrative construction on events. . . . Hecht now covers all manner of topics . . . for Britain's New Scientist magazine. . . . Trained as an engineer himself, Hecht has a gift for conveying the fog of uncertainty about the possibilities in which scientists, engineers and managers must make their choices about the approaches to pursue. . . . He begins with an account of the spectacular 'luminous fountains' that were centerpieces of the great electrical expositions in London, Paris and Chicago at the end of the 19th century, then traces the slow zigzag development of the idea from early applications . . . to theoretical investigation of the underlying principles of light transmission by glass by those involved in the telephone industry."--Boston Globe"Hecht offers a fascinating chronicle of people, events, and technological innovations that led to modern fiber optics. Though he traces this history to the use of glass in Egypt at least 4,500 years ago, to Romans drawing glass into fibers, and then to some pertinent events in the 1700s, his tale primarily covers relevant developments over the past century and a half. Among the earliest of these involves the ability of water to guide light and the subsequent use of this feature to create the luminous fountains for the 1889 Universal Exposition in Paris. Hecht identifies the individuals and their contributions, some successful and others not, in the sequence of events that today makes possible enormous communication bandwidths. . . . Appendixes with annotated lists of people and organizations; chronology of developments; extensive notes. General readers; professionals; two-year technical program students."--Choice"This is a story of the technical advances in the telecommunications industry, brought about by the continuously increasing demands for greater capacity. (How we love to talk on the phone!) A recurring theme--that photons would be better than electrons for carrying signals--appears in each new generation, but at the time, glass (the obvious material for transmitting light) could not be fashioned into wires with an acceptably low attenuation rate. Finally, as in all good stories, the hero wins, and fiber-optic cables, become a technological reality. . . . Jeff Hecht has done an admirable job in delving into the personalities of many of the key contributors."--American Scientist"This latest entry by engineering-trained science journalist Jeff Hecht is a layperson's complete account of the history of fiber optics, from their pre-electric beginnings. Like someone actually working with fibers, Hecht weaves multiple threads into his story. Read the book, which is certainly worthwhile. It is written for the public, with the scientific principles simply explained and well-illustrated. The inclusion of a large number of photographs of the players and their apparatus adds to the appeal of the story, as do a timeline and "dramatis personae" included." - Newsletter No. 51Table of Contents1. Introduction: Building a City of Light ; 2. Guiding Light and Luminous Fountains (1841-1890) ; 3. Fibers of Glass ; 4. The Quest for Remote Viewing: Television and the Legacy of Sword Swallowers (1895-1940) ; 5. A Critical Insight: The Birth of the Clad Optical Fiber (1950-1955) ; 6. 99 Percent Perspiration: The Birth of an Industry (1954-1960) ; 7. A Vision of the Future: Communicating with Light (1880-1960) ; 8. The Laser Stimulates the Emission of New Ideas (1960-1969) ; 9. "The Only Thing Left Is Optical Fibers" (1960-1969) ; 10. Trying to Sell a Dream (1965-1970) ; 11. Breakthrough: The Clearest Glass in the World (1966-1972) ; 12. Recipes for Grains of Salt: The Semiconductor Laser (1962-1977) ; 13. A Demonstration for the Queen (1970-1975) ; 14. Three Generations in Five Years (1975-1983) ; 15. Submarine Cables: Covering the Ocean Floor with Glass (1970-1995) ; 16. The Last Mile: An Elusive Vision ; 17. Reflections on the City of Light ; Appendix A. Dramatis Personae: Cast of Characters ; Appendix B. A Fiber-Optic Chronology

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Book SynopsisIn Inventing Temperature, Chang takes a historical and philosophical approach to examine how scientists were able to use scientific method to test the reliability of thermometers; how they measured temperature beyond the reach of thermometers; and how they came to measure the reliability and accuracy of these instruments without a circular reliance on the instruments themselves. Chang discusses simple epistemic and technical questions about these instruments, which in turn lead to more complex issues about the solutions that were developed.Trade Reviewthe most important book on this subject since Bridgman's classic work of 1927... Chang's book should become mandatory reading for anyone who wants to pursue the problem of measurement further. * Donald Gillies, The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science *[A] fascinating study * David Knight, BJHS, Vol. 39/4 *Table of ContentsChronology: 1: Keeping the Fixed Points Fixed 2: Spirit, Air, and Quicksilver 3: To Go Beyond 4: Theory, Measurement, and Absolute Temperature 5: Measurement, Justification, and Scientific Progress

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Book SynopsisThe relationship between science and religion is generally depicted in one of two ways. In one view, they are locked in an inevitable, eternal conflict in which one must choose a side. In the other, they are separate spheres, in which the truth claims of one have little bearing on the other. This collection of provocative essays by leading thinkers offers a new way of looking at this problematic relationship. The authors begin from the premise that both science and religion operate in, yet seek to reach beyond, specific historical, political, ideological, and psychological contexts. How may we understand science and religion as arising from, yet somehow transcending, human experience? The volume is divided into four sections. The first takes a fresh look at the relationship between science and religion in broad terms: as spheres of knowledge or belief, realms of experience, and sources of authority. The other three sections take on topics that have been focal points of conflict between science and religion: the nature of the cosmos, the origin of life, and the workings of the mind. Ultimately, the authors argue, by seeing science and religion as irrevocably tied to human experience we can move beyond simple either/or definitions of reality and arrive at a more rich and complex view of both science and religion.Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction: Rethinking Science and Religion-James D. Proctor Part I: Theory Chapter 2: "Thou Shall Not Freeze-Frame"- Or How Not to Misunderstand the Science and Religion Debate-Bruno Latour Chapter 3: Modernity and the Mystical: Techno-Science, Religion, and Human Self-Creation-Thomas A. Carlson Chapter 4: The Depths and Shallows of Experience-Hilary Putnam Chapter 5: In ____ We Trust: Science, Religion, and Authority-James D. Proctor Part II: Cosmos Chapter 6: Science, Religion, Metaphor, And History-Jeffrey Burton Russell Chapter 7: Kabbalah and Contemporary Cosmology: Discovering the Resonances-Daniel C. Matt Chapter 8: The Complementarity of Science and Religion-Harold Oliver Part III: Life Chapter 9: Darwin, Design, and the Unification of Nature-John Hedley Brooke Chapter 10: Darwinism and Christianity: Must They Remain at War or is Peace Possible?-Michael Ruse Chapter 11: Experiencing Evolution: Varieties of Psychological Responses to the Claims of Science and Religion-Ronald L. Numbers Part IV: Mind Chapter 12: Gods and the Mental Instincts that Create Them-Pascal Boyer Chapter 13: Empathy and Human Experience-Evan Thompson Chapter 14: Uneasy Alliances: The "Faith Factor" in Medicine; the "Health Factor" in Religion-Anne Harrington Chapter 15: The Intersubjective Worlds of Science and Religion-B. Alan Wallace

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Book SynopsisThis ambitious, interdisciplinary book seeks to explain the origins of religion using our knowledge of the evolution of cognition. A cognitive anthropologist and psychologist, Scott Atran argues that religion is a by-product of human evolution just as the cognitive intervention, cultural selection, and historical survival of religion is an accommodation of certain existential and moral elements that have evolved in the human condition.Trade ReviewWith almost 1000 references and discussions of most of human history and culture, from Neanderthal burials to suicide-bombers in the Palestinian anti-colonialist struggle, this book is consciously and truly encyclopedic in scope, and shows both breadth and depth of scholarship...the reader finds himself constantly challenged and provoked into an intellectual ping-pong game as he follows the arguments and the huge body of findings marshalled to buttress them...Atran managed to combine the old and the new by relating the automatic cognitive operations to existential anxieties. This combination will be a benchmark and a challenge to students od religion in all disciplines. * Benjamin Beit-Hallahmi, in Human Nature Review *In Gods We Trust is by far the best exploration so far of the evolutionary basis of religious behavior. * James Fox, Prof of Anthropology, Stanford University *Scott Atran, a cognitive anthropologist and psychologist, presents in this volume a rich, nuanced cognitive-evolutionary account of religion... From this vantage, religion is not doctrine, or institutions, or even faith. Religion ensues from the ordinary workings of the human mind as it deals with emotionally compelling problems of human existence, such as birth, aging, death, unforeseen calamities, and love... I have little but praise for this marvelous book... It does not take long to realize that one is dealing with a formidable mind; Atran is not only a fine writer, his breadth of knowledge and intellectual depth are nothing short of inspiring. This book is one to read slowly and savor. Keep a post-it pad handy, to mark the pages: the scope of this book is so wide-ranging that whatever your research interest in evolutionary psychology, it is bound to be touched upon at some point in these 400 pages of informative analysis. * Human Nature Review *Table of Contents1: Introduction: An Evolutionary Riddle Part I: Evolutionary Sources 2: The Mindless Agent: Evolutionary Adaptations and By-products 3: God's Creation: Evolutionary Origins of the Supernatural Part II: Absurd Commitments 4: Counterintuitive Worlds: The Mostly Mundane Nature of Religious Belief 5: The Sense of Sacrifice: Culture, Communication, and Commitment Part III: Ritual Passions 6: Ritual and Revelation: The Emotional Mind 7: Waves of Passion: The Neuropsychology of Religion Part IV: Mindblind Theories 8: Culture without Mind: Sociobiology and Group Selection 9: The Trouble with Memes: Inference versus Imitation in Cultural Creation 10: Conclusion: Why Religion Seems Here to Stay

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Book SynopsisWoodward''s long awaited book is an attempt to construct a comprehensive account of causation explanation that applies to a wide variety of causal and explanatory claims in different areas of science and everyday life. The book engages some of the relevant literature from other disciplines, as Woodward weaves together examples, counterexamples, criticisms, defenses, objections, and replies into a convincing defense of the core of his theory, which is that we can analyze causation by appeal to the notion of manipulation.Trade ReviewThe discussions are detailed and technical, but not such as to lead us to lose sight of the big picture; his treatment is illuminating... As other reviewers have stated, Woodward's book is outstanding. * James G. Murphy, Milltown Studies *this is a splendid book. It is beautifully and clearly written; and in countless ways sheds a flood of light on a range of topics to do with causation and explanation. It represents the most significant and substantial philosophical contribution to the study of these concepts in recent years. Reading and studying this book will be obligatory for everyone whose work bears directly or indirectly on the topics of causation and explanation. * Peter Menzies, Mind *Table of Contents1: Introduction and Preview 2: Causation and Manipulation 3: Interventions, Agency, and Counterfactuals 4: Causal Explanation: Background and Criticism 5: A Counterfactual Theory of Causal Explanation 6: Invariance 7: Causal Interpretation in Structural Models 8: The Causal Mechanical and Unificationist Models of Explanation

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Book SynopsisIt has long been thought that science is our best hope for realizing objective knowledge, but that, to deliver on this promise, it must be value free. Things are not so simple, however, as recent work in science studies makes clear. The contributors to this volume investigate where and how values are involved in science, and examine the implications of this involvement for ideals of objectivity.Trade ReviewHistorians of science whose work has led them to puzzle over their own and their historical actors' judgments of the relations between value and scientific fact will find much of value here. * Alan Richardson, Isis *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Introduction Part I: Case Studies Chapter 2: John Dupré: Fact and Value Chapter 3: Michael Root: How Should Sociologists Study Social Problems? Chapter 4: Lynn Hankinson and Allison Wylie: Coming to Terms with the Value(s) of Science: Insights from Feminist Science Scholarship Chapter 5: Brad Wray: Evaluating Scientists Part II: Evidence and Values Chapter 6: Elliott Sober: Evidence and Value Freedom Chapter 7: Heather Douglas: Rejecting the Ideal of Value Free Science Chapter 8: John Roberts: Is Logical Empiricism Committed to the Ideal of Value Free Science? Chapter 9: Sherri Roush: Constructive Empiricism and the Role of Social Values in Science Chapter 10: Gerald Doppelt: The Value Ladenness of Scientific Knowledge Chapter 11: Harold Kincaid: Contextualist Morals and Science Index

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Book SynopsisContains the philosophical account of new computer methods for empirical scientific research, and how they require a different approach to scientific method. This work draws a parallel between the ways in which such computational methods have enhanced our abilities to mathematically model the world, and the familiar ways.Trade Review"... many of the issues raised here are important and deserving of the attention the author pays to them." --CHOICE"This book is an excellent philosophical appraisal of the roles played by computers in modern science...an excellent philosophical discussion of the role of computational models in physics."--Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews

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Book SynopsisUniversally recognized as bringing about a revolutionary transformation of the notions of space, time, and motion in physics, Einstein''s theory of gravitation, known as general relativity, was also a defining event for 20th century philosophy of science. During the decisive first ten years of the theory''s existence, two main tendencies dominated its philosophical reception. This book is an extended argument that the path actually taken, which became logical empiricist philosophy of science, greatly contributed to the current impasse over realism, whereas new possibilities are opened in revisiting and reviving the spirit of the more sophisticated tendency, a cluster of viewpoints broadly termed transcendental idealism, and furthering its articulation. It also emerges that Einstein, while paying lip service to the emerging philosophy of logical empiricism, ended up siding de facto with the latter tendency. Ryckman''s work speaks to several groups, among them philosophers of science anTrade Reviewa treasure of philosophical wisdom and historical information into which everyone who has not delivered his soul to metaphysical realism will do well to delve. * Roberto Torretti, Mind *

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Book SynopsisNietzsche wrote in a scientific culture transformed by Darwin. He read extensively in German and British Darwinists, and his own works dealt often with such obvious Darwinian themes as struggle and evolution. Yet most of what Nietzsche said about Darwin was hostile: he sharply attacked many of his ideas, and often slurred Darwin himself as mediocre. So most readers of Nietzsche have inferred that he must have cast Darwin quite aside. But in fact, John Richardson argues, Nietzsche was deeply and pervasively influenced by Darwin. He stressed his disagreements, but was silent about several core points he took over from Darwin. Moreover, Richardson claims, these Darwinian borrowings were to Nietzsche''s credit: when we bring them to the surface we discover his positions to be much stronger than we had thought. Even Nietzsche''s radical innovations are more plausible when we expose their Darwinian ground; we see that they amount to a new Darwinism. The book''s four chapters show how four Trade ReviewThis lucid and closely argued book offers an infinitely more rewarding approach to Nietzsche than the once fashionable postmodernism. * Laird M. Easton, German Studies Review *Table of ContentsCONTENTS ; INTRODUCTION ; BIBLIOGRAPHY/VOCABULARY/INDEX

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Book SynopsisIt is widely acknowledged that a central aim of science is to achieve understanding of the world around us, and that possessing such understanding is highly important in our present-day society. But what does it mean to achieve this understanding? What precisely is scientific understanding? These are philosophical questions that have not yet received satisfactory answers. While there has been an ongoing debate about the nature of scientific explanation since Carl Hempel advanced his covering-law model in 1948, the related notion of understanding has been largely neglected, because most philosophers regarded understanding as merely a subjective by-product of objective explanations. By contrast, this book puts scientific understanding center stage. It is primarily a philosophical study, but also contains detailed historical case studies of scientific practice. In contrast to most existing studies in this area, it takes into account scientists'' views and analyzes their role in scientific debate and development. The aim of Understanding Scientific Understanding is to develop and defend a philosophical theory of scientific understanding that can describe and explain the historical variation of criteria for understanding actually employed by scientists. The theory does justice to the insights of such famous physicists as Werner Heisenberg and Richard Feynman, while bringing much-needed conceptual rigor to their intuitions. The scope of the proposed account of understanding is the natural sciences: while the detailed case studies derive from physics, examples from other sciences are presented to illustrate its wider validity.Trade ReviewA remarkable book... a magnificent example of how history and philosophy of science can be productively integrated. * Lakatos Award Committee *This is a superb book on the timely topic of understanding by one of its main commentators and leading scholars over the years. It constitutes a thorough, intricate, detailed and well-argued development of the original and very fertile position of the author on the topic. * Mauricio Suarez, Complutense University Madrid *This book * which creatively synthesizes two decades of his work into an elegant and provocative account of scientific understandingis a much anticipated and welcome addition to the literature.Kareem Khalifa, Notre Dame Philosophical Review *A unique account of scientific understanding, with an eye on how understanding is achieved. This account * which draws from two decades of researchis presented in a form that is pleasant to read, accessible to a variety of readers, embedded into the longstanding philosophical debate about scientific explanations, and buttressed with numerous examples and three in-depth case studies from the history of physics.Insa Lawler, Metascience *When it comes to getting clear on scientific understanding there is no better source to consult than Henk W. de Regt's Understanding Scientific Understanding. It is no exaggeration to say that this book is by far the best philosophical treatment of the concept of scientific understanding yet produced. * Kevin McCain, Science & Education *Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgement Chapter 1. Introduction: The desire to understand Chapter 2. Understanding and the aims of science 2.1. The neglect of understanding 2.2. Understanding as an epistemic skill 2.3. Intelligibility, values, and objectivity 2.4. Understanding: a means and an end Chapter 3. Explanatory understanding: A plurality of models 3.1. From covering law explanation to unificatory understanding 3.2. Causal conceptions of explanatory understanding 3.3. Is causal and unificatory understanding complementary? 3.4. Unifying the plurality of modes of explanation Chapter 4. A contextual theory of scientific understanding 4.1. Understanding phenomena with intelligible theories 4.2. Criteria for intelligibility 4.3. Conceptual tools for understanding 4.4. The context-dependence of understanding 4.4.1. Contextuality and historical dynamics 4.4.2. Contextuality and the intuitions of philosophers 4.4.3. Contextuality and pragmatics 4.5. Reduction, realism and understanding 4.5.1. Understanding and realism 4.5.2. Understanding and reduction 4.6. Contextualism: risky relativism? Chapter 5. Metaphysics and intelligibility: Understanding gravitation 5.1. The (un)intelligibility of Newton's theory of universal gravitation 5.2. The seventeenth-century debate on gravitation 5.2.1. Isaac Newton: reluctant revolutionary 5.2.2. Christiaan Huygens: the conscience of corpuscularism 5.3. Actio in distans and intelligibility after Newton 5.4. Metaphysics as a resource for scientific understanding Chapter 6. Models and mechanisms: Physical understanding in the nineteenth century 6.1. Mechanical modeling in nineteenth-century physics 6.1.1. William Thomson: master modeler 6.1.2. James Clerk Maxwell: advocate of analogies 6.1.3. Ludwig Boltzmann: promoter of pictures 6.2. Molecular models for understanding gas phenomena 6.3. Boltzmann' Bildtheorie: a pragmatic view of understanding 6.4. The uses and limitations of mechanical models Chapter 7. Visualizability and intelligibility: Insight into the quantum world 7.1. Visualizability and intelligibility in classical physics 7.2. Quantum theory and the waning of Anschaulichkeit 7.3. The new quantum mechanics: a struggle for intelligibility 7.4. Electron spin: the power of visualization 7.5. Visualization in post-war quantum physics 7.6. Visualization as a tool for understanding Chapter 8. Conclusion: the many faces of understanding Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA rival to Isaac Newton in mathematics and physics, Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz believed that our world--the best of all possible worlds--must be governed by a principle of optimality. This book explores Leibniz''s pursuit of optimality in five of his most important works in natural philosophy and shows how his principle of optimality bridges his scientific and philosophical studies. The first chapter explores Leibniz''s work on the laws of optics and its implications for his defense of natural teleology. The second chapter examines Leibniz''s work on the breaking strength of rigid beams and its implications for his thinking about the metaphysical foundations of the material world. The third chapter revisits Leibniz''s famous defense of the conservation of vis viva and proposes a novel account of the origin of Leibniz''s mature natural philosophy. The fourth chapter takes up Leibniz''s efforts to determine the shape of freely hanging chains--the so-called problem of the catenary--and shoTrade ReviewAn illuminating contribution to the histories of philosophy and science. * M. Latzer, CHOICE *This book is an impressive and original contribution to the history of philosophy and to the history of science. When scholars discuss Leibniz's physics, it is almost exclusively his theories of motion and space and his dynamics. But McDonough is calling attention to altogether different corners of Leibniz's scientific interests, his optics, his treatment of rigid beams, his studies of hanging chains and falling bodies, all unified by his use of teleological principles. This is a book like no other in the Leibniz literature: it deserves to be widely read and studied * Daniel Garber, Princeton University *Leibniz' ideas are increasingly useful in modern fields of science as diverse as cosmology and biology. For a grand tour of Leibniz' physics and philosophy—and especially of the subtleties of teleology—there is no finer guide than Jeff McDonough. A Miracle Creed is insightful, even-handed, and crystal-clear. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about how we come to understand and explain our world. * Dr. Roy R. Gould, Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics *This rich and penetrating study breaks new ground in our understanding of Leibniz's philosophy. McDonough demonstrates how the principle of optimality is a 'miracle creed' that drives Leibniz's investigations in optics, mechanics and statics, while closely integrating them with foundational doctrines of his metaphysics. Moving deftly between Leibniz's solutions to technical problems in physics and current interpretative debates, McDonough makes an original case for the systematicity and continued relevance of his thought. The book is a must read for anyone with interests in Leibniz's philosophy and the development of physical theory in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries * Donald Rutherford, University of California, San Diego *The book not only provides an in-depth survey of important topics in Leibniz's philosophy and physics, it also succeeds in arguing that we should take optimality principles in physics more seriously. * Ansgar Lyssy, The Metascience *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1. Optics and Immanent Lawful Teleology Chapter 2. Rigid Beams and the Foundations of Physics Chapter 3. Vis viva and the Origins of Leibniz's Natural Philosophy Chapter 4. Hanging Chains and Monadic Agency Chapter 5. Falling Bodies and the Rise of Variational Mechanics Epilogue

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Book SynopsisIn Explaining Cancer, Anya Plutynski addresses a variety of philosophical questions that arise in the context of cancer science and medicine. She begins with the following concerns: How do scientists classify cancer? Do these classifications reflect nature''s joints? How do cancer scientists identify and classify early stage cancers? What does it mean to say that cancer is a genetic disease? What role do genes play in mechanisms for cancer? What are the most important environmental causes of cancer, and how do epidemiologists investigate these causes? How exactly has our evolutionary history made us vulnerable to cancer? Explaining Cancer uses these questions as an entrée into a family of philosophical debates. It uses case studies of scientific practice to reframe philosophical debates about natural classification in science and medicine, the problem of drawing the line between disease and health, mechanistic reasoning in science, pragmatics and evidence, the roles of models and modeling in science, and the nature of scientific explanation.Trade ReviewA superb contribution to the burgeoning literature in philosophy of medicine. * Daniel Hausman, author of Valuing Health: Well-Being, Freedom, and Suffering *Cancer biology is a fascinatingly complex field, and Plutynski communicates this complexity well, illustrating in detail many themes of contemporary philosophy of biology….Overall, I found this a fascinating and helpful book, richly detailed and accessible. * Miriam Solomon, author of Making Medical Knowledge *Sets the stage for future discussions of the distinctive philosophical implications of cancer research. * Sara Green, editor of Philosophy of Systems Biology: Perspectives from Scientists and Philosophers *a fascinating story of cancer research ... Anya Plutynski shows how looking at cancer from the philosophical angle can help shape our perception of what cancer is and how cancer biology and epidemiology work ... think the vast majority of readers will find the narrative gripping and will enjoy reading it. Indeed, if philosophy of medicine is a branch of philosophy, the philosophy of oncology is now a new twig that I will enjoy watching grow. * Olaf Dammann, Metascience *...for those who care about philosophy of science, the book illustrates how cancer can be a rich case study. In addition, the systematic investigation of traditional philosophical debates applied to cancer that Plutynski pursues in this book makes it a great resource for teaching. For those who care about cancer, the book illustrates the need to develop more 'bottom up' philosophical approaches. * Lucie Laplane, History and Philosophy of the Life Sciences *Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1: Cancer: Natural, Social and Medical Kind Chapter 2: From Disease to Risk Chapter 3: Causation, Causal Selection and Causal Parity Chapter 4: Evidence and Environmental Epidemiology: A Pragmatic Approach Chapter 5: Explaining Cancer from an Evolutionary Perspective Chapter 6: Explanation Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA critical edition and facing-page translation, accompanied by substantial analytical introduction and notes, of Perspectiva by Roger Bacon, a foundational text of modern optics written in about 1260, which defined the subject for the next 350 years.Trade ReviewThe bibliographic details will convince any well-educated historian that this book should be available in all good libraries. So indeed it should. The advent of microfilm has helped the editor to make full use of many more manuscripts than his predecessors, with consequent benefit to the authority of the resulting text ... for anyone frivolous or serious enough to plunge straight into the main text, it is very good indeed, with scholarly notes providing hand-holds and water wings. * J. V. Field, Medical History, Oct. 1997 *

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Book SynopsisAn up-to-date and accessible selection of some of the most important writings on the philosophy of time, including work by David Lewis, Michael Dummett, and Anthony Quinton.Trade ReviewNow the definitive collection. * E.J. Lowe, Durham University *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION ; PART 1: TIME AND TENSE ; PART 2: RELATIONISM ABOUT TIME ; PART 3: THE DIRECTION OF TIME ; PART 4: THE TOPOLOGY OF TIME

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Book SynopsisWhen engaged in mathematics, most people tend to think of themselves as scientists investigating the features of real mathematical things, and the wildly successful application of mathematics in the physical sciences reinforces this picture of mathematics as an objective study. For philosophers, however, this realism about mathematics raises serious questions: What are mathematical things? Where are they? How do we know about them? Penelope Maddy delineates and defends a novel version of mathematical realism that answers the traditional questions and refocuses philosophical attention on the pressing foundational issues of contemporary mathematics.Trade ReviewShe has ... clearly marked out an original and interesting position. * Times Higher Education Supplement *the book is written in a lively, engaging style. We hope that it serves to stimulate others to think seriously about issues in philosophy of mathematics because, as Maddy claims, these issues bear directly on mainstream philosophy. * Philosophy of Science *Table of ContentsRealism: Pre-theoretic realism; Realism in philosophy; Realism and truth; Realism in mathematics; Perception and intuition: What is the question?; Perception; Intuition; Godelian Platonism; Numbers: What numbers could not be; Numbers as properties; Frege numbers; Axioms: Reals and sets of reals; Axiomization; Open problems; Competing theories; The challenge; Monism and beyond: Monism; Field's nominalism; Structuralism; Summary; References; Index.

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