The Devil in the Details: Asymptotic Reasoning in Explanation, Reduction, and EmergenceRobert Batterman examines a form of scientific reasoning called asymptotic reasoning, arguing that it has important consequences for our understanding of the scientific process as a whole. He maintains that asymptotic reasoning is essential for explaining what physicists call universal behavior. With clarity and rigor, he simplifies complex questions about universal behavior, demonstrating a profound understanding of the underlying structures that ground them. This book introduces a valuable new method that is certain to fill explanatory gaps across disciplines. |
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Contents
1 Introduction | 3 |
2 Asymptotic Reasoning | 9 |
3 Philosophical Theories of Explanation | 23 |
4 Asymptotic Explanation | 37 |
5 Philosophical Models of Reduction | 61 |
6 Intertheoretic RelationsOptics | 77 |
7 Intertheoretic RelationsMechanics | 99 |
8 Emergence | 113 |
9 Conclusions | 131 |
| 137 | |
| 141 | |
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The Devil in the Details: Asymptotic Reasoning in Explanation, Reduction ... Robert W. Batterman No preview available - 2006 |
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Bibliographic information
| Title | The Devil in the Details: Asymptotic Reasoning in Explanation, Reduction, and Emergence Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Science |
| Author | Robert W. Batterman |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press, 2001 |
| ISBN | 0198033478, 9780198033479 |
| Length | 160 pages |
| Subjects | › Philosophy / Epistemology Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects |
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