The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science

Edited by Stathis Psillos, Martin Curd

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• ISBN: 978-0-415-35403-5
• Binding: Hardback (also available in Paperback)
• Published by: Routledge
• Publication Date: 31st January 2008
• Pages: 656

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About the Book

This indispensable reference source and guide to the major themes, debates, problems and topics in philosophy of science contains fifty-five specially commissioned entries by a leading team of international contributors. Organized into four parts it covers:

• historical and philosophical context
• debates
• concepts
• the individual sciences.

The Companion covers everything students of philosophy of science need to know - from empiricism, explanation and experiment to causation, observation, prediction and more - and contains many helpful features including: a section on the individual sciences, including chapters on the philosophy of biology, chemistry, physics and psychology, further reading and cross-referencing at the end of each chapter.

Reviews

'With a distinguished list of internationally renowned contributors, an excellent choice of topics in the field, and well-written, well-edited essays throughout, this compendium is an excellent resource. It will work well for any serious scholar inside or outside the field interested in the current state of philosophy of science. Highly recommended.' - CHOICE

'Highly recommended for history of science and philosophy collections.' – Library Journal

This well conceived companion, which brings together an impressive collection of distinguished authors, will be invaluable to novices and experience readers alike.’ - Metascience

'Here is philosophy of science the way it should be. In these pages some of the very best philosophers working today grapple with the big issues of metaphysics, language, and epistemology as they relate to science. This volume is a true introduction to a philosophy of science that has real stature; a philosophy of science that puts the subject at the crossing point of arguments from across the intellectual landscape.' - Peter Galison, Harvard University, USA

'This is an outstanding companion. With over fifty chapters by uniformly distinguished contributors, it offers a stimulating and often original introduction to every facet of the subject. There is no better guide to the philosophy of science on the market.' - David Papineau, King's College London

‘This well conceived and comprehensive volume brings together a remarkable collection of authors, including many of the leading contemporary contributors to the philosophy of science. It will be of great value to students of the philosophy of science at all levels.’ - John Dupré, University of Exeter, UK

Table of Contents

Part 1: Historical and Philosophical Context 1. The Epistemology of Science after Quine 2. The History of Philosophy and Philosophy of Science 3. Metaphysics 4. Philosophy of Language 5. The Role of Logic in Philosophy of Science 6. Critical Rationalism 7. The Historical Turn in the Philosophy of Science 8. Logical Empiricism 9. Pragmatism and Science Part 2: Debates 10. Bayesianism 11. Confirmation 12. Empiricism 13. Essentialism and Natural Kinds 14. Ethics of Science 15. Experiment 16. Explanation 17. Feminist Approach to the Philosophy of Science 18. Inference to the Best Explanation 19. Laws of Nature 20. Naturalism 21. Realism/Anti-Realism 22. Relativism about Science 23. Scientific Method 24. Social Studies of Science 25. The Structure of Theories 26. Theory-Change 27. Underdetermination 28. Values in Science Part 3: Concepts 29. Causation 30. Determinism 31. Evidence 32. Function 33. Idealization 34. Measurement 35. Mechanisms 36. Models 37. Observation 38. Prediction 39. Probability 40. Reduction 41. Representation in Science 42. Scientific Discovery 43. Space and Time 44. Symmetry 45. Truthlikeness 46. Unification 47. The Virtues of a Good Theory Part 4: The Individual Sciences 48. Biology 49. Chemistry 50. Cognitive Science 51. Economics 52. Mathematics 53. Physics 54. Psychology 55. Social Sciences Index Figures

About the Author(s)

Stathis Psillos: Scientific Realism (Routledge, 1999); Causation and Explanation (2002)

Martin Curd: Principles of Reasoning (1989), Argument and Analysis: An Introduction to Philosophy (1992); Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues, with Jan Cover (1998)

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