Research Catalog

Title

An introduction to the philosophy of science / Kent W. Staley, Saint Louis University, Missouri.

Author

Staley, Kent W. (Kent Wade), 1963-

Publication

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Description

xviii, 281 pages : illustrations; 25 cm.

Summary

"This book guides readers by gradual steps through the central concepts and debates in the philosophy of science. Using concrete examples from the history of science, Kent Staley shows how seemingly abstract philosophical issues are relevant to important aspects of scientific practice. Structured in two parts, the book first tackles the central concepts of the philosophy of science, such as the problem of induction, falsificationism, and underdetermination, and important figures and movements, such as the logical empiricists, Thomas Kuhn, and Paul Feyerabend. The second part turns to contemporary debates in the philosophy of science, such as scientific realism, explanation, the role of values in science, the different views of scientific inference, and probability. This broad yet detailed overview will give readers a strong grounding whilst also providing opportunities for further exploration. It will be of particular interest to students of philosophy, the philosophy of science, and science"--

Series Statement

Cambridge introductions to philosophy

Uniform Title

Cambridge introductions to philosophy.

Subject

• Science > Philosophy
• SCIENCE / Philosophy & Social Aspects
• Naturwissenschaften
• Philosophie
• Wissenschaftsphilosophie
• Wissenschaftstheorie

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (pages 258-275) and index.

Contents

Part I: Background and Basic Concepts. 1. Some problems of induction ; 2. Falsificationism: science without induction? ; 3. Underdetermination ; 4. Logical empiricism and scientific theories ; 5. Kuhn: scientific revolutions as paradigm changes ; 6. Lakatos: scientific research programmes ; 7. Feyerabend: epistemological anarchism -- Part II: Ongoing Investigations. 8. Reasoning with probability: Bayesianism ; 9. Reasoning with probability: frequentism ; 10. Realism and anti-realism ; 11. Explanation ; 12. Values in science -- References -- Index.

Call Number

JFE 15-4975

ISBN

• 9780521112499 (hardback)
• 0521112494 (hardback)
• 9780521129992 (paperback)
• 0521129990 (paperback)
• 131609409X
• 9781316094099

LCCN

2014014318

OCLC

878953555

Author

Staley, Kent W. (Kent Wade), 1963- author.

Title

An introduction to the philosophy of science / Kent W. Staley, Saint Louis University, Missouri.

Publisher

Cambridge ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2014.

Type of Content

text

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Series

Cambridge introductions to philosophy

Cambridge introductions to philosophy.

Bibliography

Includes bibliographical references (pages 258-275) and index.

Research Call Number

JFE 15-4975