Philosophy of Science

Philosophy of Science

Praise for the first edition:

"A first-rate, challenging text that emphasizes the philosophy in the philosophy of science. Rosenberg offers a superb introduction to the epistemological and metaphysical issues at stake in modern science."

Professor Martin Curd, Purdue University, Indiana

"Philosophy students will like the way the issues in philosophy of science are connected to the basic concerns of epistemology and philosophy of language."

Professor Peter Kosso, Northern Arizona University

"An engaging and clearly written introduction to the philosophy of science . . . I was especially pleased to see the discussions of probability, the semantic view of theories, and science studies."

Peter Lipton, Cambridge University

Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction introduces all the main themes in the philosophy of science, including the nature of causation, explanation, laws, theory, models, evidence, reductionism, probability, teleology, realism and instrumentalism.

This substantially revised and updated second edition of a highly successful, accessible and user-friendly text will be of value to any student getting to grips with the nature, methods and justification of science. Alex 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 the 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

Alex Rosenberg is R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA. His eleven books in the philosophy of science include The Structure of Biological Science (1985) and Philosophy of Social Science (1995). In 1993 he won the Lakatos Prize in the Philosophy of Science.

Routledge Contemporary Introductions to Philosophy

Series editor: Paul K. Moser Loyola University of Chicago

This innovative, well-structured series is for students who have already done an introductory course in philosophy. Each book introduces a core general subject in contemporary philosophy and offers students an accessible but substantial transition from introductory to higher-level college work in that subject. The series is accessible to non-specialists and each book clearly motivates and expounds the problems and positions introduced. An orientating chapter briefly introduces its topic and reminds readers of any crucial material they need to have retained from a typical introductory course. Considerable attention is given to explaining the central philosophical problems of a subject and the main competing solutions and arguments for those solutions. The primary aim is to educate students in the main problems, positions and arguments of contemporary philosophy rather than to convince students of a single position.

Classical Philosophy Christopher Shields

Epistemology Second Edition Robert Audi

Ethics Harry Gensler

Metaphysics Second Edition Michael J. Loux

Philosophy of Art No?l Carroll

Philosophy of Language William G. Lycan

Philosophy of Mind Second Edition John Heil

Philosophy of Religion Keith E. Yandell

Philosophy of Science Second Edition Alex Rosenberg

Social and Political Philosophy John Christman

Philosophy of Psychology (forthcoming) Jos? Luis Bermudez

Continental Philosophy (forthcoming) Andrew Cutrofello

Classical Modern Philosophy (forthcoming) Jeffrey Tlumak

Philosophy of Science

A contemporary introduction Second Edition

Alex Rosenberg

First published 2000 by Routledge Reprinted 2003 Second edition first published 2005 by Routledge 270 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10016

Simultaneously published in the UK by Routledge 2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN

Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group

This edition published in the Taylor & Francis e-Library, 2005.

"To purchase your own copy of this or any of Taylor & Francis or Routledge's collection of thousands of eBooks please go to eBookstore.tandf.co.uk."

? 2000, 2005 Alex Rosenberg

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers.

Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data Rosenberg, Alexander, 1946?

The philosophy of science : a contemporary introduction / [Alex Rosenberg].? 2nd ed.

p. cm. ? (Routledge contemporary introductions to philosophy)

Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Science?Philosophy. I. Title. II. Series.

Q175.R5475 2005 501?dc22

2004021927

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

ISBN 0-203-08706-2 Master e-book ISBN

ISBN 0-415-34316-X (hbk) ISBN 0-415-34317-8 (pbk)

For Martha Ellen Reeves

Contents

Acknowledgments

ix

1 Why philosophy of science?

1

Overview

1

1.1 The relationship between science and philosophy

2

1.2 Scientific questions and questions about science

6

1.3 Modern science as philosophy

8

1.4 Science and western civilization

13

Summary

18

Study questions

18

Suggested reading

19

2 Explanation, causation and laws

21

Overview

21

2.1 Logical positivism sets the agenda

22

2.2 Defining scientific explanation

25

2.3 Why do laws explain?

33

2.4 Counterexamples and the pragmatics of

explanation

37

Summary

44

Study questions

45

Suggested reading

45

3 Scientific explanation and its discontents

48

Overview

48

3.1 Inexact laws and probabilities

49

3.2 Causation and teleology

56

3.3 From intelligibility to necessity

61

Summary

66

Study questions

67

Suggested reading

67

4 The structure and metaphysics of scientific theories

69

Overview

69

4.1 How do theories work?

70

4.2 Reduction, replacement and the progress of

science

80

4.3 The problem of theoretical terms and the

things they name

84

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