Heart of Science: A Philosophy of Scientific Inquiry

A novel epistemology of science contends that good science need not attain its aims, but it must justify its claims.

In Heart of Science, philosopher Jacob Stegenga breaks with the most dominant epistemologies of science to argue that in judging scientific activity, we should focus on its justification, not the achievement of truth or knowledge. Yet, Stegenga argues, the aim of science goes far beyond justification and is, instead, a special kind of truth—common knowledge, a broadly shared...