Cognitive Economy: The Economic Dimension of the Theory of Knowledge

by Nicholas Rescher

Overview

Cost, expected benefits, and risks are paramount in grant agencies' decisions to fund scientific research. In Cognitive Economy, Nicholas Rescher outlines a general theory for the cost-effective use of intellectual resources, amplifying the theories of Charles Sanders Pierce, who stressed an “economy of research.” Rescher discusses the requirements of cooperation, communication, cognitive importance, cognitive economy, as well as the economic factors bearing on induction and simplicity. He then applies his model to several case studies and to clarifying the limits imposed on science by economic considerations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780822985204
Publisher:	University of Pittsburgh Press
Publication date:	01/13/2010
Edition description:	1
Pages:	178
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Nicholas Rescher was Distinguished University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh and co-chairman of the Center for Philosophy of Science. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, he served as president of the Eastern Division of the American Philosophical Association, the Leibniz Society of North America, the Charles S. Peirce Society, the American Catholic Philosophical Association, and the Metaphysical Society of America. Rescher was the author or editor of more than one hundred books, including Ignorance (On the Wider Implications of Deficient Knowledge), Philosophical Inquiries: An Introduction to Problems of Philosophy, and A Journey through Philosophy in 101 Anecdotes.

Editorial Reviews

Rescher at his best. The arguments are strong and full of imagination, the applications of the model are precise and apt. This book should be required reading for those who serve on grant committees.”
—Robert Butts, University of Western Ontario

From the Publisher

On the economic factors bearing on the rational conduct of inquiry. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Booknews

Rescher at his best. The arguments are strong and full of imagination, the applications of the model are precise and apt. This book should be required reading for those who serve on grant committees.

University of Western Ontario Robert Butts