Philosophies of the Sciences: A Guide

by Fritz Allhoff (Editor)

Overview

A collection of essays discussing a wide range of sciences and the central philosophical issues associated with them, presenting the sciences collectively to encourage a greater understanding of their associative theoretical foundations, as well as their relationships to each other.

• Offers a new and unique approach to studying and comparing the philosophies of a variety of scientific disciplines
• Explores a wide variety of individual sciences, including mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, psychology, sociology and economics
• The essays are written by leading scholars in a highly accessible style for the student audience
• Complements more traditional studies of philosophy of science

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781405199957
Publisher:	Wiley
Publication date:	12/30/2009
Pages:	384
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.10(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Fritz Allhoff is Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy at Western Michigan University, where he also holds an affiliation with the Mallinson Institute for Science Education. He has edited over 20 books, including Philosophy of Science: An Historical Anthology, co-edited with Timothy McGrew and Marc Alspector-Kelly (Wiley-Blackwell, 2009).

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Table of Contents

Notes on Contributors vii

List of Figures xii

Unit 1: Introduction 1

1 Philosophies of the Sciences 3
Fritz Allhoff

2 Philosophy of Science 9
Richard DeWitt

Unit 2: Philosophy of the Exact Sciences 39

3 Philosophy of Logic 41
Otávio Bueno

4 Philosophy of Mathematics 68
Otávio Bueno

5 Philosophy of Probability 92
Aidan Lyon

Unit 3: Philosophy of the Natural Sciences 127

6 Philosophy of Physics 129
Richard DeWitt

7 Philosophy of Chemistry 163
Joachim Schummer

8 Philosophy of Biology 184
Matthew H. Haber, Andrew Hamilton, Samir Okasha, and Jay Odenbaugh

9 Philosophy of Earth Science 213
Maarten G. Kleinhans, Chris J.J. Buskes, and Henk W. de Regt

Unit 4: Philosophy of the Behavioral and Social Sciences 237

10 Philosophy of the Cognitive Sciences 239
William Bechtel and Mitchell Herschbach

11 Philosophy of Psychology 262
Edouard Machery

12 Philosophy of Sociology 293
Daniel Little

13 Philosophy of Economics 324
Daniel M. Hausman

Index 356

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

"Gone are the days when it seemed reasonable to regard philosophy of science as a monolithic enterprise. The various sciences give rise to their own distinctive philosophical problems, frustrating attempts at unified treatments. This excellent volume recognizes the diversity of philosophical concerns and approaches that the sciences demand. It offers both an aerial view of the relevant intellectual terrain, and a number of close-up surveys - a state-of-the-art resource for students and researchers alike."
—Alan Hájek, Australian National University

"This welcome addition to the philosophy of science literature will introduce readers to the fertile ground lying between philosophy and real scientific practice."
—Colin Allen, Indiana University-Bloomington

Editorial Reviews

"Philosophies of the Sciences is a collection of clearly written, very informative, high-quality chapters that provide readers with good samples of what the philosophies of the various sciences have to offer." (Acta Biotheoretica, 2011)

 

From the Publisher