Overview

The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science is an indispensable reference source and guide to the major themes, debates, problems and topics in philosophy of science. It contains sixty-two 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 Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science addresses all of the essential topics that 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 chapters on individual sciences (such as biology, chemistry, physics and psychology), further reading and cross-referencing at the end of each chapter. Expanded and revised throughout, this second edition includes new chapters on Conventionalism, Social Epistemology, Computer Simulation, Thought Experiments, Pseudoscience, Species and Taxonomy, and Cosmology.

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9780415518741

Table of Contents

Reviews

'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 A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2008 '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 'This is a very impressive collection. [...] As a whole, the volume provides a highly informative snapshot of the current state of philosophy of science. ... It is hard to think of a topic in philosophy of science that is not addressed; in this sense the volume is quite comprehensive. [...] Readers will invariably learn-a lot-from the rich discussions collected here. The book should be useful for both students and specialists. It should be very helpful to the many readers of this journal who don't specialize in philosophy of science but for whom aspects of philosophy of science are important to their own research.' - Science & Education '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 '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 Dupre, University of Exeter, UK

Praise for the first edition: A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2008 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 experienced 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 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 Dupre, University of Exeter, UK

Praise for the first edition: '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 'A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2008 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 'This is a very impressive collection. [...] As a whole, the volume provides a highly informative snapshot of the current state of philosophy of science. ... It is hard to think of a topic in philosophy of science that is not addressed; in this sense the volume is quite comprehensive. [...] Readers will invariably learn-a lot-from the rich discussions collected here. The book should be useful for both students and specialists. It should be very helpful to the many readers of this journal who don't specialize in philosophy of science but for whom aspects of philosophy of science are important to their own research.' - Science & Education '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 '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 Dupre, University of Exeter, UK

... any serious student of the subject will find it an invaluable resource. ... Aside from the excellent essays themselves, one of the best features from the previous edition also remains: a short paragraph following each topical essay gives the contributing author's suggestions for additional reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended. - CHOICE Praise for the first edition: A CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title 2008 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 experienced 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 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 Dupre, University of Exeter, UK

Author Information

Martin Curd is Associate Professor of Philosophy at Purdue University, USA. He is co-editor (with Jan Cover and Christopher Pincock) of Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues. Stathis Psillos is Professor of Philosophy of Science and Metaphysics at the University of Athens, Greece. He is the author of Scientific Realism: How Science Tracks Truth (Routledge), Causation and Explanation, Philosophy of Science A–Z, and Knowing the Structure of Nature.

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