Defending Science Within Reason

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Defending Science - within Reason

Susan Haack
Defending Science within Reason Book PDF

Author : Susan Haack
Publisher : Prometheus Books
Page : 431 pages
File Size : 54,8 Mb
Release : 2011-03-30
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781615921683

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Defending Science - within Reason by Susan Haack Pdf

Sweeping in scope, penetrating in analysis, and generously illustrated with examples from the history of science, this new and original approach to familiar questions about scientific evidence and method tackles vital questions about science and its place in society. Avoiding the twin pitfalls of scientism and cynicism, noted philosopher Susan Haack argues that, fallible and flawed as they are, the natural sciences have been among the most successful of human enterprises-valuable not only for the vast, interlocking body of knowledge they have discovered, and not only for the technological advances that have improved our lives, but as a manifestation of the human talent for inquiry at its imperfect but sometimes remarkable best. This wide-ranging, trenchant, and illuminating book explores the complexities of scientific evidence, and the multifarious ways in which the sciences have refined and amplified the methods of everyday empirical inquiry; articulates the ways in which the social sciences are like the natural sciences, and the ways in which they are different; disentangles the confusions of radical rhetoricians and cynical sociologists of science; exposes the evasions of apologists for religious resistance to scientific advances; weighs the benefits and the dangers of technology; tracks the efforts of the legal system to make the best use of scientific testimony; and tackles predictions of the eventual culmination, or annihilation, of the scientific enterprise. Writing with verve and wry humor, in a witty, direct, and accessible style, Haack takes readers beyond the "Science Wars" to a balanced understanding of the value, and the limitations, of the scientific enterprise.

How to Talk to a Science Denier

Lee McIntyre
How to Talk to a Science Denier Book PDF

Author : Lee McIntyre
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 281 pages
File Size : 42,7 Mb
Release : 2022-08-02
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262545051

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How to Talk to a Science Denier by Lee McIntyre Pdf

Can we change the minds of science deniers? Encounters with flat earthers, anti-vaxxers, coronavirus truthers, and others. "Climate change is a hoax--and so is coronavirus." "Vaccines are bad for you." These days, many of our fellow citizens reject scientific expertise and prefer ideology to facts. They are not merely uninformed--they are misinformed. They cite cherry-picked evidence, rely on fake experts, and believe conspiracy theories. How can we convince such people otherwise? How can we get them to change their minds and accept the facts when they don't believe in facts? In this book, Lee McIntyre shows that anyone can fight back against science deniers, and argues that it's important to do so. Science denial can kill. Drawing on his own experience--including a visit to a Flat Earth convention--as well as academic research, McIntyre outlines the common themes of science denialism, present in misinformation campaigns ranging from tobacco companies' denial in the 1950s that smoking causes lung cancer to today's anti-vaxxers. He describes attempts to use his persuasive powers as a philosopher to convert Flat Earthers; surprising discussions with coal miners; and conversations with a scientist friend about genetically modified organisms in food. McIntyre offers tools and techniques for communicating the truth and values of science, emphasizing that the most important way to reach science deniers is to talk to them calmly and respectfully--to put ourselves out there, and meet them face to face.

The Scientific Attitude

Lee McIntyre
The Scientific Attitude Book PDF

Author : Lee McIntyre
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 291 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 2019-05-07
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780262039833

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The Scientific Attitude by Lee McIntyre Pdf

An argument that what makes science distinctive is its emphasis on evidence and scientists' willingness to change theories on the basis of new evidence. Attacks on science have become commonplace. Claims that climate change isn't settled science, that evolution is “only a theory,” and that scientists are conspiring to keep the truth about vaccines from the public are staples of some politicians' rhetorical repertoire. Defenders of science often point to its discoveries (penicillin! relativity!) without explaining exactly why scientific claims are superior. In this book, Lee McIntyre argues that what distinguishes science from its rivals is what he calls “the scientific attitude”—caring about evidence and being willing to change theories on the basis of new evidence. The history of science is littered with theories that were scientific but turned out to be wrong; the scientific attitude reveals why even a failed theory can help us to understand what is special about science. McIntyre offers examples that illustrate both scientific success (a reduction in childbed fever in the nineteenth century) and failure (the flawed “discovery” of cold fusion in the twentieth century). He describes the transformation of medicine from a practice based largely on hunches into a science based on evidence; considers scientific fraud; examines the positions of ideology-driven denialists, pseudoscientists, and “skeptics” who reject scientific findings; and argues that social science, no less than natural science, should embrace the scientific attitude. McIntyre argues that the scientific attitude—the grounding of science in evidence—offers a uniquely powerful tool in the defense of science.

Why Trust Science?

Naomi Oreskes
Why Trust Science Book PDF

Author : Naomi Oreskes
Publisher : Princeton University Press
Page : 386 pages
File Size : 46,8 Mb
Release : 2021-04-06
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780691212265

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Why Trust Science? by Naomi Oreskes Pdf

Why the social character of scientific knowledge makes it trustworthy Are doctors right when they tell us vaccines are safe? Should we take climate experts at their word when they warn us about the perils of global warming? Why should we trust science when so many of our political leaders don't? Naomi Oreskes offers a bold and compelling defense of science, revealing why the social character of scientific knowledge is its greatest strength—and the greatest reason we can trust it. Tracing the history and philosophy of science from the late nineteenth century to today, this timely and provocative book features a new preface by Oreskes and critical responses by climate experts Ottmar Edenhofer and Martin Kowarsch, political scientist Jon Krosnick, philosopher of science Marc Lange, and science historian Susan Lindee, as well as a foreword by political theorist Stephen Macedo.

Evidence and Inquiry

Susan Haack
Evidence and Inquiry Book PDF

Author : Susan Haack
Publisher : Wiley-Blackwell
Page : 272 pages
File Size : 45,5 Mb
Release : 1995-01-09
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 063119679X

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Evidence and Inquiry by Susan Haack Pdf

In this important new work, Haack develops an original theory of empirical evidence or justification, and argues its appropriateness to the goals of inquiry. In so doing, Haack provides detailed critical case studies of Lewis's foundationalism; Davidson's and Bonjour's coherentism; Popper's 'epistemology without a knowing subject'; Quine's naturalism; Goldman's reliabilism; and Rorty's, Stich's, and the Churchlands' recent obituaries of epistemology.

Scientific Models for Religious Knowledge

Andrew Ralls Woodward
Scientific Models for Religious Knowledge Book PDF

Author : Andrew Ralls Woodward
Publisher : Wipf and Stock Publishers
Page : 240 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2018-08-14
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781532660207

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Scientific Models for Religious Knowledge by Andrew Ralls Woodward Pdf

Most comparisons of science and religion are really comparisons of science and Christianity, or science and Islam, and so forth. In Scientific Models for Religious Knowledge, the author aims to get outside typical polarized debates between traditional, a priori theism and radical, scientistic naturalism. Instead, a new science and religion compatibility system--between a scientific study of religion and a religious epistemology--is our new, elusive problem. Moreover, we shall look at a comparison and contrast of modern science with the simple deference of the human mind to the actions of culturally postulated superhuman agents. This book pays critical attention to the contributions of scholars in the philosophy of religion, the philosophy of science, and the scientific study of religion. Scientific Models for Religious Knowledge is useful for readers looking to expand their learning in the philosophies of science and religion as these subjects are taught and analyzed in modern research universities.

Philosophy of Logics

Susan Haack
Philosophy of Logics Book PDF

Author : Susan Haack
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 300 pages
File Size : 41,7 Mb
Release : 1978-07-27
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 0521293294

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Philosophy of Logics by Susan Haack Pdf

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On Guard

William Lane Craig
On Guard Book PDF

Author : William Lane Craig
Publisher : David C Cook
Page : 288 pages
File Size : 41,6 Mb
Release : 2010-03-01
Category : Religion
ISBN : 1434701883

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On Guard by William Lane Craig Pdf

Renowned scholar William Lane Craig offers a readable, rich training manual for defending the Christian faith. This concise guide is filled with illustrations, sidebars, and memorizable steps to help Christians stand their ground and defend their faith with reason and precision. In his engaging style, Dr. Craig offers four arguments for God’s existence, defends the historicity of Jesus’ personal claims and resurrection, addresses the problem of suffering, and shows why religious relativism doesn’t work. Along the way, he shares his story of following God’s call in his own life. This one-stop, how-to-defend-your-faith manual will equip Christians to advance faith conversations deliberately, applying straightforward, cool-headed arguments. They will discover not just what they believe, but why they believe—and how being on guard with the truth has the power to change lives forever.

Putting Philosophy to Work

Susan Haack
Putting Philosophy to Work Book PDF

Author : Susan Haack
Publisher : Prometheus Books
Page : 354 pages
File Size : 46,5 Mb
Release : 2013-05-14
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781616144944

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Putting Philosophy to Work by Susan Haack Pdf

This engaging and wide-ranging collection of essays is informed and unified by the conviction that philosophy can, and should, engage with real-world issues. Susan Haack's keen analytical skills and well-chosen illustrations illuminate a diverse range of cultural questions; and her direct style and wry sense of humor make complex ideas and subtle distinctions accessible to serious readers whatever their discipline or particular interests. Putting Philosophy to Work will appeal not only to philosophers but also to thoughtful scientists, economists, legal thinkers, historians, literary scholars, and humanists. This new, expanded second edition includes several previously unpublished essays: a devastating critique of Karl Popper's highly (and dangerously) influential philosophy of science; a searching and thought-provoking analysis of scientism; and a groundbreaking paper on "academic ethics in a preposterous environment" that every professor, and would-be professor, should read.

Anti-science and the Assault on Democracy

Michael J. Thompson,Gregory R. Smulewicz-Zucker
Anti science and the Assault on Democracy Book PDF

Author : Michael J. Thompson,Gregory R. Smulewicz-Zucker
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 306 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2018
Category : Political Science
ISBN : 9781633884748

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Anti-science and the Assault on Democracy by Michael J. Thompson,Gregory R. Smulewicz-Zucker Pdf

Defending the role that science must play in democratic society--science defined not just in terms of technology but as a way of approaching problems and viewing the world. In this collection of original essays, experts in political science, the hard sciences, philosophy, history, and other disciplines examine contemporary anti-science trends, and make a strong case that respect for science is essential for a healthy democracy. The editors note that a contradiction lies at the heart of modern society. On the one hand, we inhabit a world increasingly dominated by science and technology. On the other, opposition to science is prevalent in many forms--from arguments against the teaching of evolution and the denial of climate change to the promotion of alternative medicine and outlandish claims about the effects of vaccinations. Adding to this grass-roots hostility toward science are academics espousing postmodern relativism, which equates the methods of science with regimes of "power-knowledge." While these cultural trends are sometimes marketed in the name of "democratic pluralism," the contributors contend that such views are actually destructive of a broader culture appropriate for a democratic society. This is especially true when facts are degraded as "fake news" and scientists are dismissed as elitists. Rather than enhancing the capacity for rational debate and critical discourse, the authors view such anti-science stances on either the right or the left as a return to premodern forms of subservience to authority and an unwillingness to submit beliefs to rational scrutiny. Beyond critiquing attitudes hostile to science, the essays in this collection put forward a positive vision for how we might better articulate the relation between science and democracy and the benefits that accrue from cultivating this relationship.

Faith and Reason

Donald A. Crosby
Faith and Reason Book PDF

Author : Donald A. Crosby
Publisher : State University of New York Press
Page : 190 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2012-01-02
Category : Religion
ISBN : 9781438436159

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Faith and Reason by Donald A. Crosby Pdf

Few words are as widely misconceived as the word "faith." Faith is often set in stark opposition to reason, considered antithetical to scientific thought, and heavily identified with religion. Donald Crosby's revealing book provides a more complex picture, discussing faith and its connection to the whole of human life and human knowledge. Crosby writes about that existential faith that underlies, shapes, and supports a person's life and its sense of purpose and direction. Such faith does not make a person religious and being secular does not mean one rejects all forms of faith. Throughout the book Crosby makes the case that faith is fundamentally involved in all processes of reasoning and that reason is an essential part of all dependable forms of faith. Crosby elaborates the major components of faith and goes on to look at the mutually dependent relationships between faith and knowledge, faith and scientific knowledge, and faith and morality. The work's final chapters examine crises of faith among several noted thinkers as well as the author's own journey of faith from plans for the ministry to pastor to secular philosopher and religious naturalist.

Evidence Matters

Susan Haack
Evidence Matters Book PDF

Author : Susan Haack
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 445 pages
File Size : 45,7 Mb
Release : 2014-07-28
Category : Law
ISBN : 9781107039964

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Evidence Matters by Susan Haack Pdf

Susan Haack brings her distinctive work in theory of knowledge and philosophy of science to bear on real-life legal issues.

A Universe from Nothing

Lawrence Maxwell Krauss
A Universe from Nothing Book PDF

Author : Lawrence Maxwell Krauss
Publisher : Simon and Schuster
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 48,7 Mb
Release : 2013
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781451624458

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A Universe from Nothing by Lawrence Maxwell Krauss Pdf

This is a provocative account of the astounding new answers to the most basic philosophical question: Where did the universe come from and how will it end?

Risk, Language, and Power

Jeffery T. Morris
Risk Language and Power Book PDF

Author : Jeffery T. Morris
Publisher : Lexington Books
Page : 207 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2012
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
ISBN : 9780739170540

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Risk, Language, and Power by Jeffery T. Morris Pdf

Risk, Language, and Power explores discourse around the environmental risks of nanotechnology, making the case that the dominance in risk discourse of regulatory science is a limiting policy debate on environmental risks, and that specific initiatives should be undertaken to broaden debate not just on nanotechnology, but generally on the risks of new technologies. Morris argues that the treatment of environmental risk in public policy debates has failed for industrial chemicals, is failing for nanotechnology, and most certainly will fail for synthetic biology and other new technologies unless we change how we describe the impacts to people and other living things from the development and deployment of technology. However, Morris also contends that the nanotechnology case provides reason for optimism that risk can be given different, and better, treatment in environmental policy debates. Risk, Language, and Power proposes specific policy initiatives to advance a richer discourse around the environmental implications of emerging technologies. Morris believes that evidence of enriched environmental policy debates would be a decentering of language concerning risk by developing within discourse language and practice directed toward enriching the human and environmental condition.

Why It's OK to Trust Science

Keith M. Parsons
Why It s OK to Trust Science Book PDF

Author : Keith M. Parsons
Publisher : Taylor & Francis
Page : 143 pages
File Size : 49,9 Mb
Release : 2023-07-27
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781000901450

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Why It's OK to Trust Science by Keith M. Parsons Pdf

Why trust science? Why should science have more authority than "other ways of knowing?" Is science merely a social construct? Or even worse: a tool of oppression? This book boldly takes on these and other explosive questions—lodged by ideologues on the left and the right—and offers readers a well researched defense of science and a polemic addressed to its detractors. Why It’s OK to Trust Science critically examines the recent history of critiques of science, including those in academia from scholars like Bruno Latour, Simon Schaffer, and Thomas Kuhn. It then presents case studies drawn from recent advances in the field of dinosaur paleontology, showing how science generates objective knowledge, even during revolutionary episodes. The book next looks at how that same objective knowledge can be gained even when researching extremely complex issues, using climate science to distinguish between genuine skepticism –upon which science depends–from dogmatic denial. The book is for anyone who needs thoughtful, razor sharp responses to the detractors of science—whether they be anti-vaxxers, climate change deniers, profit-seeking businessmen, or published relativists in the knowledge-making industries. Key Features: Highly readable and accessible without oversimplifying the complexities of scientific research Exposes the many flaws of the "undertermination thesis"—the argument that indefinitely many hypotheses are compatible with any body of evidence Explores whether moral and other value-laden questions can be answered by science Includes three appendixes online: (1) Summary of The Structure of Scientific Revolutions; (2) Rorty on Losing the World; (3) 21 Facts in Support of Human-Caused Climate Change