Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction PDF
Preview Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction
Philosophy of Science Any serious student attempting to understand better the nature, methods and justification of science will value Alex Rosenberg’s third edition of Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction. Weaving together lucid explanations and clear analyses, the volume is a much used, thematically ori- ented introduction to the field. Called the “industry standard” and “essential reading” by the journal Teaching Philosophy, the book has been substantially revised and updated in its third edition to meet even better the needs of students and instructors and to reflect changes in the field. Updates in the third edition: • Reorganized into 15 chapters, making it easier to assign chapters in a semester-long course at most universities. • While the book’s structure is thematic rather than historical, the first two chapters now provide a brief history of philosophy to show how the problems of philosophy of science are modern versions of prob- lems that have haunted philosophy since its inception. • Traces the positivism and post-positivism of the twentieth and twenty- first centuries back to Kant, Hume, Leibniz, Locke and Descartes. • Introduces the metaphysics of physical necessity and nature of laws. • Develops explanations of several scientific theories, in particular Newtonian Mechanics and Darwinian Evolutionary Theory, and locates them in their intellectual and cultural contexts. • Includes greater discussion of the nature of theories, scientific realism and antirealism. • Offers expanded discussion of models, including examples from biol- ogy and social science. • Provides more discussion of constructivist approaches and the “Sokal Hoax” along with their impact on the humanities and sciences. • Comes with a thoroughly updated bibliography, suggested readings and glossary. Alex Rosenberg is R. Taylor Cole Professor of Philosophy at Duke University. 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 moti- vates 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 sub- ject 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. Epistemology Philosophy of Biology Third Edition Alex Rosenberg and Daniel W. McShea Robert Audi Classical Philosophy Ethics Christopher Shields Second Edition Classical Modern Harry Gensler Philosophy Philosophy of Science Jeffrey Tlumak Third Edition Philosophy of Religion Alex Rosenberg Keith E. Yandell Philosophy of Language Philosophy of Art Second Edition Noël Carroll Willam G. Lycan Philosophy of Psychology Metaphysics José Luis Bermudez Third Edition Michael J. Loux Social and Political Philosophy Philosophy of Perception John Christman William Fish Continental Philosophy Philosophy of Mathematics Andrew Cutrofello Second Edition James Robert Brown Philosophy of Science A Contemporary Introduction Third Edition Alex Rosenberg Third edition published 2012 by Routledge 711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017 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, an informa business © 2012 Taylor & Francis The right of Alex Rosenberg to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilized in any form or by any electronic, mechani- cal, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, includ- ing photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. First edition published by Routledge 2000 Second edition published by Routledge 2005 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rosenberg, Alexander, 1946- Philosophy of science : a contemporary introduction / Alex Rosenberg. -- 3rd ed. p. cm. – (Routledge contemporary introductions to philosophy) 1. Science–Philosophy. I. Title. Q175.R5475 2011 501–dc22 2011003857 ISBN: 978-0-415-89176-9 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-415-89177-6 (pbk) ISBN: 978-0-203-80751-4 (ebk) Typeset in Garamond and Gill Sans by Prepress Projects Ltd, Perth, UK Printed and bound in the United States of America on acid-free paper by Edwards Brothers, Inc. Still for Martha Ellen Reeves Contents Preface xi 1 Philosophy and Science 1 Overview 1 What Is Philosophy? 1 Philosophy and the Emergence of the Sciences 3 Science and the Divisions of Philosophy 5 What if There Are No Questions Left Over when Science Is Finished? 6 A Short History of Philosophy as the Philosophy of Science 8 Summary 18 Study Questions 19 Suggested Readings 19 2 Why Is Philosophy of Science Important? 21 Overview 21 Scientific Questions and Questions about Science 21 Modern Science Has Implications for Philosophy 24 The Cultural Significance of Science 30 Why Is Science the Only Feature of Western Culture Universally Adopted? 33 Summary 35 Study Questions 36 Suggested Readings 36 3 Scientific Explanation 39 Overview 39 Defining Scientific Explanation 40 The Role of Laws in Scientific Explanation 42 The Covering Law Model 45 Problems for the Covering Law Model 48 A Competing Conception of Scientific Explanation 53 Summary 56 Study Questions 57 Suggested Readings 58 viii Contents 4 Why Do Laws Explain? 61 Overview 61 What Is a Law of Nature? 62 Counterfactual Support as a Symptom of the Necessity of Laws 63 Counterfactuals and Causation 65 Coming to Grips with Nomic Necessity 67 Denying the Obvious? 74 Summary 77 Study Questions 78 Suggested Readings 78 5 Causation, Inexact Laws and Statistical Probabilities 81 Overview 81 Causes as Explainers 82 Ceteris Paribus Laws 87 Statistical Laws and Probabilistic Causes 89 Explanation as Unification 93 Summary 95 Study Questions 96 Suggested Readings 96 6 Laws and Explanations in Biology and the “Special Sciences” 97 Overview 97 Dissatisfaction with Causal Explanations 98 Proprietary Laws in the “Special Sciences” 100 Functional Laws and Biological Explanations 103 Explaining Purposes or Explaining Them Away? 106 From Intelligibility to Necessity 107 Summary 111 Study Questions 112 Suggested Readings 112 7 The Structure of Scientific Theories 115 Overview 115 How Do Theories Work? The Example of Newtonian Mechanics 116 Theories as Explainers: The Hypothetico–Deductive Model 121 The Philosophical Significance of Newtonian Mechanics and Theories 127 Summary 132 Study Questions 133 Suggested Readings 133 Contents ix 8 Epistemic and Metaphysical Issues About Scientific Theories 135 Overview 135 Reduction, Replacement and the Progress of Science 136 The Problem of Theoretical Terms 142 Scientific Realism vs. Antirealism 150 Summary 157 Study Questions 158 Suggested Readings 159 9 Theory Construction vs. Model Building 161 Overview 161 Theories and Models 162 Semantic vs. Syntactic Approaches to Theories and Models 166 A Case Study: Darwin’s Theory of Natural Selection 169 Models and Theories in Evolutionary Biology 173 Summary 177 Study Questions 178 Suggested Readings 178 10 Induction and Probability 179 Overview 179 The Problem of Induction 180 Statistics and Probability to the Rescue? 185 How Much Can Bayes’ Theorem Really Help? 192 Summary 198 Study Questions 199 Suggested Readings 199 11 Confirmation, Falsification, Underdetermination 201 Overview 201 Epistemological Problems of Hypothesis Testing 201 Induction as a Pseudo-Problem: Popper’s Gambit 206 Underdetermination 211 Summary 215 Study Questions 216 Suggested Readings 216 12 Challenges from the History of Science 219 Overview 219 A Role for History in the Philosophy of Science? 220 New Paradigms and Scientific Revolutions 225
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