Why Science Needs Metaphysics: A Plea for Structural Realism

by Elie Zahar

Overview

Recent scholars have attempted to remake epistemology as a purely subjectivist enterprise. Elie Zahar argues convincingly that rational metaphysics is both relevant and crucial to scientific research and discovery, and presents case studies on the development of the atomic theory and Einstein’s philosophy of science to support his contention.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780812696035
Publisher:	Open Court Publishing Company
Publication date:	06/28/2007
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Introduction     vii
How Respectable Is Metaphysics?     1
The Problem of Induction     5
Protocol or Basic Statements?     29
Falsifiability and Parameter-Adjustment     79
Falsifiability, Duhem-Quine and the Status of Geometry     89
The Methodology of Scientific Research Programs (MSRP)     125
Structural Scientific Realism (SSR)     167
Atomism and Structural Realism     207
Einstein or the Essential Unity of Science and Philosophy     223
General Considerations Concerning the Need for Finitely Axiomatizing Mathematics     251
The System [Sigma]     254
Einstein's Anti-inductivism     260
Induction and the Uniformity of Nature     264
Comments on ([Characters not reproducible]H, K, [Delta])J(H, K, [Delta])     271
Poincare's Theorem     272
Bibliography     275
Index     283