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In questioning the scientific enterprise and its effect on the society around it, this analysis of modern science has a particular emphasis on the role of thematic elements - often unconscious presuppositions that guide scientific work.
"This textbook is intended for use in a course on scientific thought. It includes a mixture of classic readings from the great figures in science and in the philosophy of science, as well as practical essays on scientific methodology, ethics and pseudoscience. Students will be introduced to the scientific world view: its sphere and limitations. The book develops the methodology, epistemology, history and philosophy of science. It will give the student tools to reflect on the ethical implications of scientific discovery. In addition, the student will be trained in skepticism and critical thinking in order to distinguish pseudoscience from real science. The distinction between scientific and religious thought will be considered, as well as a discussion of the questions of interest to both. John Oakes received his bachelor of science in chemistry from the University of Connecticut in 1977 and his PhD in chemical physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. Dr. Oakes has been a professor of chemistry and physics at Gonzaga University, Marian College (Wisconsin) and Grossmont College. He has taught classes on the history and philosophy of science for over twenty years and directed honors programs at both Marian College and Grossmont College. He has published six books and given invited lectures on science and religion at dozens of universities and in more than fifty countries.
The highly acclaimed first edition of this major work convincingly established Gerald Holton’s analysis of the ways scientific ideas evolve. His concept of “themata,” induced from case studies with special attention to the work of Einstein, has become one of the chief tools for understanding scientific progress. It is now one of the main approaches in the study of the initiation and acceptance of individual scientific insights. Three principal consequences of this perspective extend beyond the study of the history of science itself. It provides philosophers of science with the kind of raw material on which some of the best work in their field is based. It helps intellectual historians to redefine the place of modern science in contemporary culture by identifying influences on the scientific imagination. And it prompts educators to reexamine the conventional concepts of education in science. In this new edition, Holton has masterfully reshaped the contents and widened the coverage. Significant new material has been added, including a penetrating account of the advent of quantum physics in the United States, and a broad consideration of the integrity of science, as exemplified in the work of Niels Bohr. In addition, a revised introduction and a new postscript provide an updated perspective on the role of themata. The result of this thoroughgoing revision is an indispensable volume for scholars and students of scientific thought and intellectual history.
The History and Philosophy of Science: A Reader brings together seminal texts from antiquity to the end of the nineteenth century and makes them accessible in one volume for the first time. With readings from Aristotle, Aquinas, Copernicus, Galileo, Descartes, Newton, Lavoisier, Linnaeus, Darwin, Faraday, and Maxwell, it analyses and discusses major classical, medieval and modern texts and figures from the natural sciences. Grouped by topic to clarify the development of methods and disciplines and the unification of theories, each section includes an introduction, suggestions for further reading and end-of-section discussion questions, allowing students to develop the skills needed to: § read, interpret, and critically engage with central problems and ideas from the history and philosophy of science § understand and evaluate scientific material found in a wide variety of professional and popular settings § appreciate the social and cultural context in which scientific ideas emerge § identify the roles that mathematics plays in scientific inquiry Featuring primary sources in all the core scientific fields - astronomy, physics, chemistry, and the life sciences - The History and Philosophy of Science: A Reader is ideal for students looking to better understand the origins of natural science and the questions asked throughout its history. By taking a thematic approach to introduce influential assumptions, methods and answers, this reader illustrates the implications of an impressive range of values and ideas across the history and philosophy of Western science.
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of his passing (in 2014), this special book features studies on Alexandre Koyré (1892–1964), one of the most influential historians of science of the 20th century, who re-evaluated prevalent thinking on the history and philosophy of science. In particular, it explores Koyré’s intellectual matrix and heritage within interdisciplinary fields of historical, epistemological and philosophical scientific thought. Koyré is rightly noted as both a versatile historian on the birth and development of modern science and for his interest in philosophical questions on the nature of scientific knowledge. In the 1940s and 1950s his activities in the United States established a crucial bridge between the European historical tradition of science studies and the American academic environments, and an entire generation of historians of science grew up under his direct influence. The book brings together contributions from leading experts in the field, and offers much-needed insights into the subject from historical, nature of science, and philosophical perspectives. It provides an absorbing and revealing read for historians, philosophers and scientists alike.
First published in 1962 The Origins of Science tries to explain scientific thought from its historical and psychological origins. The depth of psychology of today rather than traditional epistemology is needed in order to understand the problems of knowledge. Reality is the first problem of the scientist; it is exemplified by the idea of object, or of matter. The development of this idea from its Greek beginnings is traced and the unconscious mechanisms that underlie our thought processes -of abstraction, generalisation, etc.- are made manifest. The second problem is that of truth; it is illustrated by examples from the history of mathematics and of logic. Again, the ‘psychology’ of what we accept as truth is made explicit. Scientific method is the intellectual safeguard for the criteria of truth and reality. Instead of traditional induction, the creative view of scientific activity must be accepted. This book is a must read for scholars and researchers of philosophy of science and philosophy in general.
There is ample evidence that it is difficult for the general public to understand and internalize scientific facts. Disputes over such facts are often amplified amid political controversies. As we've seen with climate change and even COVID-19, politicians rely on the perceptions of their constituents when making decisions that impact public policy. So, how do we make sure that what the public understands is accurate? In this book, Steven L. Goldman traces the public's suspicion of scientific knowledge claims to a broad misunderstanding, reinforced by scientists themselves, of what it is that scientists know, how they know it, and how to act on the basis of it. In sixteen chapters, Goldman takes readers through the history of scientific knowledge from Plato and Aristotle, through the birth of modern science and its maturation, into a powerful force for social change to the present day. He explains how scientists have wrestled with their own understanding of what it is that they know, that theories evolve, and why the public misunderstands the reliability of scientific knowledge claims. With many examples drawn from the history of philosophy and science, the chapters illustrate an ongoing debate over how we know what we say we know and the relationship between knowledge and reality. Goldman covers a rich selection of ideas from the founders of modern science and John Locke's response to Newton's theories to Thomas Kuhn's re-interpretation of scientific knowledge and the Science Wars that followed it. Goldman relates these historical disputes to current issues, underlining the important role scientists play in explaining their own research to nonscientists and the effort nonscientists must make to incorporate science into public policies. A narrative exploration of scientific knowledge, Science Wars engages with the arguments of both sides by providing thoughtful scientific, philosophical, and historical discussions on every page.