The Theory Of Science

Author : Ernest Sylvain Nagel
Publisher : JHU Press
Page : 104 pages
File Size : 53,7 Mb
Release : 2019-12-01
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781421433264

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Observation and Theory in Science by Ernest Sylvain Nagel Pdf

Originally published in 1971. The three contributions collected in this volume deal with different aspects of a single theme—the logical status of scientific theories in their relation to observation. These lectures, authored by different thinkers, treat this theme in connection with some controversies in the philosophy of science. A nonspecialist who reads these lectures should realize that the theme itself is a perennial one with an ancient lineage. It has concerned philosophers from the earliest era of philosophy on down through the centuries. A central philosophical issue at stake in the lectures is the question of whether scientific theories are testable in terms of our observations such that we can know whether some theories are true and others false. Although differing in their emphases, all three contributors seek a more plausible and nonskeptical philosophical account of the status of scientific theories in relation to observation.

Author : George Gale
Publisher : McGraw-Hill Science, Engineering & Mathematics
Page : 328 pages
File Size : 43,5 Mb
Release : 1979
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : UOM:39015006705944

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Theory of Science by George Gale Pdf

Author : Jean Cavailles
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 143 pages
File Size : 42,5 Mb
Release : 2021-04-27
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781913029418

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On Logic and the Theory of Science by Jean Cavailles Pdf

A new translation of the final work of French philosopher Jean Cavaillès. In this short, dense essay, Jean Cavaillès evaluates philosophical efforts to determine the origin—logical or ontological—of scientific thought, arguing that, rather than seeking to found science in original intentional acts, a priori meanings, or foundational logical relations, any adequate theory must involve a history of the concept. Cavaillès insists on a historical epistemology that is conceptual rather than phenomenological, and a logic that is dialectical rather than transcendental. His famous call (cited by Foucault) to abandon "a philosophy of consciousness" for "a philosophy of the concept" was crucial in displacing the focus of philosophical enquiry from aprioristic foundations toward structural historical shifts in the conceptual fabric. This new translation of Cavaillès's final work, written in 1942 during his imprisonment for Resistance activities, presents an opportunity to reencounter an original and lucid thinker. Cavaillès's subtle adjudication between positivistic claims that science has no need of philosophy, and philosophers' obstinate disregard for actual scientific events, speaks to a dilemma that remains pertinent for us today. His affirmation of the authority of scientific thinking combined with his commitment to conceptual creation yields a radical defense of the freedom of thought and the possibility of the new.

Author : Peter Godfrey-Smith
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
Page : 412 pages
File Size : 41,8 Mb
Release : 2021-07-16
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9780226771137

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Theory and Reality by Peter Godfrey-Smith Pdf

How does science work? Does it tell us what the world is “really” like? What makes it different from other ways of understanding the universe? In Theory and Reality, Peter Godfrey-Smith addresses these questions by taking the reader on a grand tour of more than a hundred years of debate about science. The result is a completely accessible introduction to the main themes of the philosophy of science. Examples and asides engage the beginning student, a glossary of terms explains key concepts, and suggestions for further reading are included at the end of each chapter. Like no other text in this field, Theory and Reality combines a survey of recent history of the philosophy of science with current key debates that any beginning scholar or critical reader can follow. The second edition is thoroughly updated and expanded by the author with a new chapter on truth, simplicity, and models in science.

Author : Roy Bhaskar
Publisher : Verso Books
Page : 367 pages
File Size : 54,7 Mb
Release : 2020-05-05
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781789603538

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A Realist Theory of Science by Roy Bhaskar Pdf

A Realist Theory of Science is one of the few books that have changed our understanding of the philosophy of science. In this analysis of the natural sciences, with a particular focus on the experimental process itself, Roy Bhaskar provides a definitive critique of the traditional, positivist conception of science and stakes out an alternative, realist position. Since it original publication in 1975, a movement known as 'Critical Realism', which is both intellectually diverse and international in scope, has developed on the basis of key concepts outlined in the text. The book has been hailed in many quarters as a 'Copernican Revolution' in the study of the nature of science, and the implications of its account have been far-reaching for many fields of the humanities and social sciences.

Author : Clifford Alan Hooker
Publisher : SUNY Press
Page : 494 pages
File Size : 55,8 Mb
Release : 1987-02-20
Category : Science
ISBN : 0887063160

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A Realistic Theory of Science by Clifford Alan Hooker Pdf

This book presents a clear and critical view of the orthodox logical empiricist tradition, pointing the way to significant developments for the understanding of science both as research and as culture. It summarizes the present confused and highly polarized status of the orthodox philosophy of science. It exhibits clearly the fundamental metaphysical and global presuppositions and confusions that have led to this status. It provides a positive point of view from which progress can be made toward understanding science as research done by real scientists rather than science as exemplifying some prior epistemological program created by philosophers. And it leads directly to an understanding of science as a dynamic force within our society with consequences for the environment and public policy.

Author : Thomas S. Kuhn
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 226 pages
File Size : 49,8 Mb
Release : 1970
Category : Historia de la fisica
ISBN : 0226458032

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The Structure of Scientific Revolutions by Thomas S. Kuhn Pdf

Author : David I. Spivak
Publisher : MIT Press
Page : 495 pages
File Size : 41,5 Mb
Release : 2014-10-17
Category : Mathematics
ISBN : 9780262320535

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Category Theory for the Sciences by David I. Spivak Pdf

An introduction to category theory as a rigorous, flexible, and coherent modeling language that can be used across the sciences. Category theory was invented in the 1940s to unify and synthesize different areas in mathematics, and it has proven remarkably successful in enabling powerful communication between disparate fields and subfields within mathematics. This book shows that category theory can be useful outside of mathematics as a rigorous, flexible, and coherent modeling language throughout the sciences. Information is inherently dynamic; the same ideas can be organized and reorganized in countless ways, and the ability to translate between such organizational structures is becoming increasingly important in the sciences. Category theory offers a unifying framework for information modeling that can facilitate the translation of knowledge between disciplines. Written in an engaging and straightforward style, and assuming little background in mathematics, the book is rigorous but accessible to non-mathematicians. Using databases as an entry to category theory, it begins with sets and functions, then introduces the reader to notions that are fundamental in mathematics: monoids, groups, orders, and graphs—categories in disguise. After explaining the “big three” concepts of category theory—categories, functors, and natural transformations—the book covers other topics, including limits, colimits, functor categories, sheaves, monads, and operads. The book explains category theory by examples and exercises rather than focusing on theorems and proofs. It includes more than 300 exercises, with solutions. Category Theory for the Sciences is intended to create a bridge between the vast array of mathematical concepts used by mathematicians and the models and frameworks of such scientific disciplines as computation, neuroscience, and physics.

Author : Richard Dawid
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
Page : 213 pages
File Size : 48,6 Mb
Release : 2013-05-02
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781107067585

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String Theory and the Scientific Method by Richard Dawid Pdf

String theory has played a highly influential role in theoretical physics for nearly three decades and has substantially altered our view of the elementary building principles of the Universe. However, the theory remains empirically unconfirmed, and is expected to remain so for the foreseeable future. So why do string theorists have such a strong belief in their theory? This book explores this question, offering a novel insight into the nature of theory assessment itself. Dawid approaches the topic from a unique position, having extensive experience in both philosophy and high-energy physics. He argues that string theory is just the most conspicuous example of a number of theories in high-energy physics where non-empirical theory assessment has an important part to play. Aimed at physicists and philosophers of science, the book does not use mathematical formalism and explains most technical terms.

Author : Sifeng Liu,Zhigeng Fang,Hongxing Shi,Benhai Guo
Publisher : CRC Press
Page : 324 pages
File Size : 48,8 Mb
Release : 2016-04-19
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9781420087420

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Theory of Science and Technology Transfer and Applications by Sifeng Liu,Zhigeng Fang,Hongxing Shi,Benhai Guo Pdf

Constructive Suggestions for Efficiently Implementing Technology Transfer Theory of Science and Technology Transfer and Applications presents the mechanisms, features, effects, and modes of technology transfer. It addresses the measurement, cost, benefit, optimal allocation, and game theory of technology transfer, along with the dynamics of the tec

Author : Samuel Schindler
Publisher : Unknown
Page : 263 pages
File Size : 40,7 Mb
Release : 2018-05-24
Category : Science
ISBN : 9781108422260

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Theoretical Virtues in Science by Samuel Schindler Pdf

In-depth discussion of the value of scientific theories, bringing together and advancing current important debates in realism.

Author : Stephan Korner
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 241 pages
File Size : 44,9 Mb
Release : 2013-04-15
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9781135028374

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Experience and Theory by Stephan Korner Pdf

Originally published in 1966. This volume analyzes the general structure of scientific theories, their relation to experience and to non-scientific thought. Part One is concerned with the logic underlying empirical discourse before its subjection to the various constraints, imposed by the logico-mathematical framework of scientific theories upon their content. Part Two is devoted to an examination of this framework and, in particular, to showing that the deductive organization of a field of experience is by that very act a modification of empirical discourse and an idealization of its subject matter. Part Three analyzes the concordance between theories and experience and the relevance of science to moral and religious beliefs.

Author : S. Lelas
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
Page : 426 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2012-12-06
Category : Philosophy
ISBN : 9789401090360

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Science and Modernity by S. Lelas Pdf

Science is a multifaceted, natural and historical phenomenon. It consists of five elements, that is, it happens in five distinct media: biological, linguistic, technological, social, and historical. None of these alone provides an indubitable basis for the truth of scientific knowledge, but combined together they compose a solid ground for our trust in its reliability. The composition, however, is uniquely related to our modern mode of living. Science did not exist before modernity, and it will cease to exist in this form if our way of life should change. The book presents a thorough analysis of all these dimensions and their relations, and thus lays the path for an integral theory of science. Because of this it can be used as a textbook for general courses in the theory of science at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

Author : Stephen G. Brush
Publisher : Oxford University Press
Page : 553 pages
File Size : 50,7 Mb
Release : 2015-04-13
Category : Science
ISBN : 9780190266943

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Making 20th Century Science by Stephen G. Brush Pdf

Historically, the scientific method has been said to require proposing a theory, making a prediction of something not already known, testing the prediction, and giving up the theory (or substantially changing it) if it fails the test. A theory that leads to several successful predictions is more likely to be accepted than one that only explains what is already known but not understood. This process is widely treated as the conventional method of achieving scientific progress, and was used throughout the twentieth century as the standard route to discovery and experimentation. But does science really work this way? In Making 20th Century Science, Stephen G. Brush discusses this question, as it relates to the development of science throughout the last century. Answering this question requires both a philosophically and historically scientific approach, and Brush blends the two in order to take a close look at how scientific methodology has developed. Several cases from the history of modern physical and biological science are examined, including Mendeleev's Periodic Law, Kekule's structure for benzene, the light-quantum hypothesis, quantum mechanics, chromosome theory, and natural selection. In general it is found that theories are accepted for a combination of successful predictions and better explanations of old facts. Making 20th Century Science is a large-scale historical look at the implementation of the scientific method, and how scientific theories come to be accepted.

Author : Moti Ben-Ari
Publisher : Prometheus Books
Page : 249 pages
File Size : 55,5 Mb
Release : 2011-04-26
Category : Biography & Autobiography
ISBN : 9781615922420

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Just A Theory by Moti Ben-Ari Pdf

Some people claim that evolution is "just a theory". Do you know what a scientific theory really is? Just a theory is an overview of the modern concepts of science. A clear understanding of the nature of science will enable you to distinguish science from pseudoscience (which illegitimately wraps itself in the mantle of science), and real social issues in science from the caricatures portrayed in postmodernist critiques.Prof. Ben-Ari''s style is light (even humorous) and easy to read, bringing the latest concepts of science to the general reader. Of particular interest is his analysis of the terminology of science (fact, law, proof, theory) in relation to the colloquial meaning of these terms.Between chapters are biographical vignettes of scientists - both familiar and unfamiliar - showing their common commitment to the enterprise of science, together with a diversity of backgrounds and personalities.This accessible, informative, and comprehensive work will give lay readers a good grasp of real science.