Overview
This book analyzes Bas van Fraassen’s characterization of representation and models in science. In this regard, it presents the philosophical coordinates of his approach and pays attention to his structural empiricism as a framework for his views on scientific representations and models. These are developed here through two new contributions made by van Fraassen. In addition, there are analyses of the relation between models and reality in his approach, where the complexity of this conception is considered in detail. Furthermore, there is an examination of scientific explanation and epistemic values judgments. This volume includes a wealth of bibliographical information on his philosophy and relevant philosophical issues. Bas van Fraassen is a key figure in contemporary philosophy of science, as the prestigious Hempel Award shows. His views on scientific representation offer new ideas on how it should be characterized, and his conception of models shows a novelty that goes beyond other empiricists’ approaches of recent times. Both aspects — the characterization of scientific representation and the conception of models in science — are part of a deliberate attempt to forge a “structural empiricism,” an alternative to structural realism based on an elaborated version of empiricism.
Full Product Details
Author: Wenceslao J. Gonzalez
Publisher: Springer
Imprint: Springer
Edition: Softcover reprint of the original 1st ed. 2014
Volume: 368
Dimensions:
Width: 15.50cm
, Height: 1.30cm
, Length: 23.50cm
Weight: 0.454kg
ISBN: 9789402402032
ISBN 10: 9402402039
Pages: 233
Publication Date: 03 September 2016
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Professional & Vocational
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active
Availability: Manufactured on demand
We will order this item for you from a manufactured on demand supplier.
Reviews
This book is a valuable contribution both to the understanding of van Fraassen's philosophy and to the present state of the philosophy of science in general. It covers the most relevant issues of these aspects of the philosophical panorama and discusses them with particular clarity and insight. So its reading and study ... is highly advisable for scholars interested in current approaches in the philosophy of science. (Jose F. Martinez-Solano, Journal for General Philosophy of Science, Vol. 47 (1), April, 2016) A useful overview of van Fraassen's work focusing on models and representation. ... this book is not a mere compilation of contributions making exegesis of an author, but a philosophical contribution in itself. ... It deserves the attention of philosophers of science, not just of those interested in van Fraassen's work. (Xavier de Donato Rodriguez, Theoria, Vol. 30 (3), 2015)
This book is a valuable contribution both to the understanding of van Fraassen's philosophy and to the present state of the philosophy of science in general. It covers the most relevant issues of these aspects of the philosophical panorama and discusses them with particular clarity and insight. So its reading and study ... is highly advisable for scholars interested in current approaches in the philosophy of science. (Jose F. Martinez-Solano, Journal for General Philosophy of Science, Vol. 47 (1), April, 2016) A useful overview of van Fraassen's work focusing on models and representation. ... this book is not a mere compilation of contributions making exegesis of an author, but a philosophical contribution in itself. ... It deserves the attention of philosophers of science, not just of those interested in van Fraassen's work. (Xavier de Donato Rodriguez, Theoria, Vol. 30 (3), 2015)
