Philosophy of Science: An Anthology

"By skillfully blending classics with provocative recent pieces that integrate real science into philosophical discussions, Lange stimulates his readers to do philosophy of science, rather than just learn it."
–– Richard A. Healey, University of Arizona

"Lange has assembled a fine collection of essays in philosophy of science, including familiar established classics, as well as exciting new contributions. The result is an engaging anthology, and anyone interest in the subject, at whatever level, will enjoy and learn from it."
––Barry Gower, University of Durham

"I′m not usually a fan of anthologies, but this one is excellent. Marc Lange provides just the right mix of background material for these important and interrelated papers, supplying key insights, connections, and context, while always letting the pieces ultimately speak for themselves."
––Richard DeWitt, Fairfield University

Philosophy of Science: An Anthology assembles some of the finest papers in the philosophy of science since 1945, showcasing enduring classics alongside important and innovative recent work.

Nine sections address topics at the heart of philosophy of science, including scientific explanations and laws of nature, varieties of causation, and the metaphysical implications of modern physics. Introductions by the editor accompany each section, highlighting connections between selections as well as contextualizing the articles.

Providing an authoritative and accessible overview of the philosophy of science, this volume is a valuable resource for both students and professional philosophers of science.

Preface.

Acknowledgments..

Part I: Our Logical Empiricist Heritage.

Introduction to Part I.

1. Empiricist Criteria of Cognitive Significance: Problems and Changes (Carl G. Hempel).

Part II: The Logical Foundations of Belief Revision.

Introduction to Part II.

2. Studies in the Logic of Confirmation (Carl G. Hempel).

3. Confirmation and Relevance (Wesley C. Salmon).

4. The New Riddle of Induction (Nelson Goodman).

5. Explanations, Tests, Unity, and Necessity (Clark Glymour).

6. Rationality and Objectivity in Science (or Tom Kuhn Meets Tom Bayes) (Wesley C. Salmon).

Part III: The Criteria of Theory Choice.

Introduction to Part III.

7. Let′s Razor Ockham′s Razor (Elliott Sober).

8. Foundational Physics and Empiricist Critique (Lawrence Sklar).

9. Darwin s Achievement (Philip Kitcher).

10. Objectivity, Value Judgment, and Theory Choice (Thomas S. Kuhn).

Part IV: Realism and the Character of Scientific Theories.

Introduction to Part IV.

11. The Theoretician′s Dilemma (Carl G. Hempel).

12. (a) Phenomenalism.

(b) The Language of Theories (Wilfred F. Sellars).

13. (a) Arguments Concerning Scientific Realism.

(b) To Save the Phenomen (Bas C. van Fraassen).

14. Empirical Equivalence and Underdetermination (Larry Laudan and Jarrett Leplin).

15. Structural Realism: The Best of Both Worlds? (John Worrall).

16. Extragalactic Reality: The Case of Gravitational Lensing (Ian Hacking).

Part V: Scientific Explanations and Laws of Nature.

Introduction to Part V.

17. Laws and their Role in Scientific Exploration (Carl G. Hempel).

18. (a) The Laws of Nature.

(b) Humean Supervenience (David Lewis).

19. Laws of Nature (Fred I. Dretske).

20. The Evolutionary Contingency Thesis (John Beatty).

21. Who s Afraid of Ceteris–Paribus Laws? (or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Them) (Marc Lange).

Part VI: Natural Kinds and the Special Kinds of Special Sciences.

Introduction to Part VI.

22. A Tradition of Natural Kinds (Ian Hacking).

23. Evolution, Population Thinking, and Essentialism (Elliott Sober).

24. Homeostasis, Species, and Higher Taxa (Richard Boyd).

25. Some Puzzles About Species (Philip Kitcher).

26. Special Sciences (or: The Disunity of Science as a Working Hypothesis) (J. A. Fodor).

Part VII: Singular Causation.

Introduction to Part VII.

27. Causation and Recipes (Douglas Gasking).

28. Causation as Influence (David Lewis).

29. Causation and the Flow of Energy (David Fair).

Part VIII: Probabilistic Causation, Causal Laws, and Chances.

Introduction to Part VIII.

30. Probabilistic Causation (Wesley C. Salmon).

31. Causal Laws and Effective Strategies (Nancy Cartwright).

32. The Propensity Interpretation of Fitness (Susan K. Mills and John H. Beatty).

33. A Subjectivist s Guide to Objective Chance (David Lewis).

Part IX: Metaphysical Implications of Modern Physics.

Introduction to Part IX.

34. On Einstein–Minkowski Space–Time (Howard Stein).

35. What Price Spacetime Substantivalism? The Hole Story (John Earman and John Norton).

36. The Genidentity of Quantum Particles (Hans Reichenbach).

37. Is the Moon There When Nobody Looks? Reality and the Quantum Theory (N. David Mermin).

38. Part and Whole in Quantum Mechanics (Tim Maudlin).

Index.

Marc Lange is Professor of Philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is the author of Natural Laws in Scientific Practice (2000) and An Introduction to the Philosophy of Physics: Locality, Fields, Energy, and Mass (Blackwell, 2002), as well as numerous articles.