Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary IntroductionAlex Rosenberg includes new material on a number of subjects, including: * the theory of natural selection * Popper, Lakatos and Leibniz * feminist philosophy of science * logical positivism * the origins of science In addition, helpful features add greatly to ease and clarity of this second edition: * overviews and chapter summaries * study questions and annotated further reading * a helpful glossary explaining key words and concepts ture, methods and justification. |
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accept according actually alternative answer appeal approach argue argument axiomatic behavior beliefs causal causes century Chapter claims complete concept conclusion confirmation consider course deductive defined definition derived distinction effect empirical empiricism empiricist employed equal evidence example existence experience explanatory express fact follows force fundamental give given hold human hypotheses important induction justified knowledge Kuhn language laws least light logical mass mathematical matter meaning mechanics methods molecules nature necessary necessity Newton's Newtonian notion objective observation paradigm particular philosophy of science physics positive predictions probability problem processes progress properties quantum mechanics questions reason reflect relation relative relevance requires result scientific explanation scientific theories scientists seek social sort statement structure success Suppose tells theoretical theory things tion treat true truth turn understanding
Popular passages
Page 113 - Anschauung), a sort of perception that would enable it to perceive essences. Substantial Forms, or whatever. But there is no such faculty. "Nothing is in the mind that was not first in the senses except the mind itself", as Kant put it, quoting Leibnitz.
Page 40 - LAWS 39 3 Ms R. voted for the left-of-center candidate in the latest election. But clearly the argument form of this explanation is not deductive. The truth of the premises does not guarantee the truth of the conclusion: they are compatible with the women in question not voting at all, or voting for the right-of-center candidate, etc. Statistical explanations on this view are inductive arguments - that is, they give good grounds for their conclusions without guaranteeing them, as deductive arguments...
Page 55 - ... syntax, which constitute the structure of the conceptual systems. Although the conceptual systems are logically entirely arbitrary, they are bound by the aim to permit the most nearly possible certain (intuitive) and complete co-ordination with the totality of sense-experiences; secondly they aim at greatest possible sparsity of their logically independent elements (basic concepts and axioms), ie, undefined concepts and underived [postulated] propositions.
Page 9 - Origin of man now proved. Metaphysics must flourish. He who understands baboon would do more toward metaphysics than Locke.
Page 78 - Pisa, rolling them down inclined planes, timing the period of péndula as their lengths are changed, all contributed to his discovery of the laws of motion of objects in the immediate vicinity of the Earth: projectiles always follow the paths of parabolas, the period of a pendulum (the time for one cycle of back and forth motion) depends on the length of the wire and never the weight of the bob, free-falling bodies of any mass have constant acceleration. It was Newton's achievement to show that Kepler's...
Page 34 - But if I had known you were coming I would have baked a cake!
Page 4 - ... about what is good and bad, right and wrong, just and unjust — in ethics, aesthetics, political philosophy.
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Bibliographic information
| Title | Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction Routledge contemporary introductions to philosophy |
| Author | Alexander Rosenberg |
| Edition | illustrated, reprint, annotated |
| Publisher | Psychology Press, 2005 |
| ISBN | 0415343178, 9780415343176 |
| Length | 213 pages |
| Subjects | › Science / Philosophy & Social Aspects |
| Export Citation | BiBTeX EndNote RefMan |