Overview

Philosophers have never been reluctant to analyse methodological problems which arise from the practice of other disciplines. The results of these analyses become provinces within philosophy, each being a second-order commentary on a first-order subject. Philosophy of science and history of science are both interpretations of scientific practice. This book is concerned with the nature of the relationship between these two disciplines. There are various possibilities. Philosophy of science and history of science may be mutually exclusive, interdependent, or related by inclusion. Much depends on whether philosophy of science is taken to be a prescriptive or a descriptive discipline. There has been a venerable tradition of prescriptive philosophy of science, but recently a few investigators have pursued a descriptive alternative. Descriptive philosophy of science is the more modest alternative. Its practitioners nevertheless have made important contributions to our understanding of those activities that comprise science.

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9780198249467

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Reviews

Valuable for its lucid discussion of the intricate problem of the relationship between history and philosophy of science. Students will welcome the synoptic accounts of the 'positions' of several major philosophers of science, both ancient and modern. --Isis The book is valuable since it provides both a detailed survey of the various positions on this significant question and illustration through concrete scientific examples. Losee's critical analyses are excellent. --Choice Losee argues that the philosophy of science has attempted to find prescriptions for doing good science, but it has failed at this enterprise. Consequently he argues that prescriptive philosophy of science should be abandoned in favor of a descriptive endeavor....In the course of arguing for this descriptive enterprise, Losee critically examines the relation between the history of science and the philosophy of science. The book provides a very good introduction to the important issues in the philosophy of science....A very informative book that will be of interest to both scholars and browsers. --The Quarterly Review of Biology

Valuable for its lucid discussion of the intricate problem of the relationship between history and philosophy of science. Students will welcome the synoptic accounts of the 'positions' of several major philosophers of science, both ancient and modern. --Isis<br> The book is valuable since it provides both a detailed survey of the various positions on this significant question and illustration through concrete scientific examples. Losee's critical analyses are excellent. --Choice<br> Losee argues that the philosophy of science has attempted to find prescriptions for doing good science, but it has failed at this enterprise. Consequently he argues that prescriptive philosophy of science should be abandoned in favor of a descriptive endeavor....In the course of arguing for this descriptive enterprise, Losee critically examines the relation between the history of science and the philosophy of science. The book provides a very good introduction to the important issues in the philosophy of science....A very informative book that will be of interest to both scholars and browsers. --The Quarterly Review of Biology<br>

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