Description
Book SynopsisRanging through the history of medicine, from the Hippocratic theory of humors to modern explanations of Mad Cow Disease and chronic fatigue syndrome, this book analyzes the development and acceptance of scientific ideas. It challenges both traditional philosophy of science and contemporary science studies.
Trade Review"Thagard ... presents a detailed structure for the scientific understanding of disease... [A] valuable work... Recommended."--Library Journal "This book is remarkable for its clarity and its lack of doctrine. At each stage, Thagard outlines in plain terms precisely what he is trying to explain, and illustrates his explanation ... It is precisely this even-handed and commonsense approach that allows him to give an accurate portrayal of what scientific advance is like. If this is what philosophers can do for science and medicine, we need more help from them."--Charles Bangham, The Times Higher Education Supplement "An engaging look at contemporary medical science."--K. Codell Carter, Journal of the History of Medicine "For anyone who has practised medicine long enough to wonder how and why some theories become fashionable and others fail to thrive, this book will make an interesting read. Paul Thagard finds both the traditional view of science as logic and the postmodern view of science as power inadequate for understanding how science develops."--Julia Lowe, British Medical Journal "This clear and easy to read book is suitable for the general public and students, as well as professional philosophers of science... The general reader will appreciate introductions to the logical, cognitive, and sociological approaches to the study of science... Useful summaries at the end of each chapter allow a quick read of main points."--Lindley Darden, Philosophy of Science
Table of ContentsList of FiguresList of TablesPrefaceAcknowledgmentsPt. 1Explanations1Ch. 1Explaining Science3Ch. 2Explaining Disease20Pt. 2The Bacterial Theory of Peptic Ulcers37Ch. 3Ulcers and Bacteria: Discovery39Ch. 4Ulcers and Bacteria: Acceptance56Ch. 5Ulcers and Bacteria: Instruments and Experiments71Ch. 6Ulcers and Bacteria: Social Interactions84Pt. 3Cognitive Processes99Ch. 7Causes, Correlations, and Mechanisms101Ch. 8Discovering Causes: Scurvy, Mad Cow Disease, AIDS, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome118Ch. 9Medical Analogies135Ch. 10Diseases, Germs, and Conceptual Change148Pt. 4Social Processes165Ch. 11Collaborative Knowledge167Ch. 12Medical Consensus185Ch. 13Science and Medicine on the Internet199Pt. 5Conclusion217Ch. 14Science as a Complex System219References243Index259
