Philosophy of Science A Contemporary Introduction [Paperback]

Any serious student attempting to better understand the nature, methods and justification of science will value Alex Rosenbergs updated and substantially revised Third Editionof Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction. Weaving together lucid explanations and clear analyses, the volume is a much-used, thematically oriented introduction to the field.

New features of the Third Editioninclude more coverage of the history of the philosophy of science, more fully developed material on the metaphysics of causal and physical necessity, more background on the contrast between empiricism and rationalism in science, and new material on the structure of theoretical science (with expanded coverage of Newtonian and Darwinian theories and models) and the realism/antirealism controversy. Rosenberg also divides the Third Editioninto fifteen chapters, aligning each chapter with a week in a standard semester-long course. Updated Discussion Questions, Glossary, Bibliography and Suggested Readings lists at the end of each chapter will make the Third Editionindispensable, either as a comprehensive stand-alone text or alongside the many wide-ranging collections of articles and book excerpts currently available.

Read our interview with Alex Rosenberg, What exactly is philosophy of science  and why does it matter?here: www.routledge.com/u/alexrosenberg

Preface  1. Philosophy and Science  2. Why is Philosophy of Science Important?  3. Scientific Explanation  4. Why Do Laws Explain?  5. Causation, Inexact Laws and Statistical Probabilities  6. Laws and Explanations in Biology and the Special Sciences  7. The Structure of Scientific Theories  8. Epistemic and Metaphysical Issues about Scientific Theories  9. Theory Construction v. Model Building  10. IndulsS