The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science by Curd, Martin; Psillos, Stathis;

Short description:

This indispensable reference source and guide to the major themes, debates, problems and topics in philosophy of science contains fifty-six specially commissioned entries by a leading team of international contributors covering: Historical and Philosophical Contexts, Debates, Concepts and The Individual Sciences.

Long description:

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.

A CHOICE 'Outstanding Academic Title'

'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, UK

'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

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.

Table of Contents:

Part 1:  Historical and Philosophical Context  1. The Epistemology of Science after Quine  Paul A. Roth  2. The History of Philosophy and Philosophy of Science  Joanne Waugh and Roger Ariew  3. Metaphysics  Stephen Mumford  4. Philosophy of Language Rod Bertolet  5. The Role of Logic in Philosophy of Science  Diderik Batens  6. Critical Rationalism  Gürol Irzik  7. The Historical Turn in the Philosophy of Science   Alexander Bird  8. Logical Empiricism  Thomas Uebel  9. Pragmatism and Science  Robert Almeder  Part 2: Debates  10. Bayesianism  Colin Howson  11. Confirmation Alan Hájek and James M. Joyce  12. Empiricism  Elliott Sober  13. Essentialism and Natural Kinds  Brian Ellis  14. Ethics of Science  David B. Resnik  15. Experiment Theodore Arabatzis  16. Explanation  Jim Woodward  17. Feminist Approach to the Philosophy of Science  Cassandra L. Pinnick  18. Inference to the Best Explanation Peter Lipton  19. Laws of Nature  Marc Lange  20. Naturalism  Ronald N. Giere  21. Realism/Anti-Realism  Michael Devitt  22. Relativism about Science Maria Baghramian  23. Scientific Method  Howard Sankey   24. Social Studies of Science Robert Nola  25. The Structure of Theories  Steven French  26. Theory-Change  John Worrall  27. Underdetermination  Igor Douven  28. Values in Science  Gerald Doppelt  Part 3: Concepts  29. Causation  Christopher Hitchcock  30. Determinism  Barry Loewer  31. Evidence  Peter Achinstein  32. Function  Denis Walsh  33. Idealization James Ladyman  34. Measurement  Hasok Chang and Nancy Cartwright  35. Mechanisms  Stuart Glennan  36. Models  Demetris Portides  37. Observation André Kukla  38. Prediction  Malcolm Forster  39. Probability  Maria-Carla Galavotti  40. Reduction  Sahotra Sarkar  41. Representation in Science  Paul Teller  42. Scientific Discovery  Thomas Nickles  43. Space and Time  Oliver Pooley  44. Symmetry Margaret Morrison  45. Truthlikeness  Graham Oddie  46. Unification  Todd Jones  47. The Virtues of a Good Theory  Ernan McMullin  Part 4: The Individual Sciences  48. Biology  Alexander Rosenberg  49. Chemistry  Robin Findlay Hendry  50. Cognitive Science  Paul Thagard  51. Economics  Uskali Maki  52. Mathematics Peter Clark  53. Physics  Simon Saunders  54. Psychology  Richard Samuels  55. Social Sciences  Harold Kincaid.  Figures.  Index