Alexander Bird

Philosophy of Science

James Ladyman

Arguing About Science is an outstanding, engaging introduction to the essential topics in philosophy of science, edited by two leading experts in the field. This exciting and innovative anthology contains a selection of classic and contemporary readings that examine a broad range of issues, from classic problems such as scientific reasoning; causation; and scientific realism, to more recent topics such as science and race; forensic science; and the scientific status of medicine. The editors bring together some of the most influential contributions of famous philosophers in the field, including John Stuart Mill and Karl Popper, as well as more recent extracts from philosophers and scientists such as Ian Hacking, Stephen Jay Gould, Bas van Fraassen, Nancy Cartwright, and John Worrall. The anthology is organised into nine clear sections: science, non science and pseudo-science race, gender and science scientific reasoning scientific explanation laws and causation science and medicine probability and forensic science risk, uncertainty and science policy scientific realism and anti-realism. The articles chosen are clear, interesting, and free from unnecessary jargon. The editors provide lucid introductions to each section in which they provide an overview of the debate, as well as suggestions for further reading.

Arguing about Science

Thomas Kuhn (1922-96) transformed the philosophy of science. His seminal 1962 work "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" introduced the term 'paradigm shift' into the vernacular and remains a fundamental text in the study of the history and philosophy of science. This introduction to Kuhn's ideas covers the breadth of his philosophical work, situating "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions" within Kuhn's wider thought and drawing attention to the development of his ideas over time. Kuhn's work is assessed within the context of other philosophies of science notably logical empiricism and recent developments in naturalized epistemology. The author argues that Kuhn's thinking betrays a residual commitment to many theses characteristic of the empiricists he set out to challenge. Kuhn's influence on the history and philosophy of science is assessed and where the field may be heading in the wake of Kuhn's ideas is explored.

Thomas Kuhn

Thomas S. Kuhn (1922-1996), el primer pensador americano de la segunda mitad del siglo xx según Rorty, ha transformado paradigmáticamente la filosofía de la ciencia. Su obra seminal, La estructura de las revoluciones científicas (1962), traducida a una docena de lenguas con más de un millón de ejemplares vendidos, ha llevado el término "cambio de paradigma" al lenguaje de la calle y sigue siendo hoy un texto fundamental para el estudio de la historia y la filosofía de la ciencia. La presente introducción a las ideas de Kuhn sitúa a La estructura de las revoluciones científicas en el contexto del desarrollo temporal del pensamiento kuhniano. Alexander Bird examina la distinción de Kuhn entre ciencia normal y ciencia revolucionaria y considera a fondo el papel desempeñado por la noción clave de paradigma en la explicación kuhniana del cambio científico revolucionario. Después analiza la tesis de Kuhn de que el mundo del científico cambia cuando cambian los paradigmas, y pone en relación esta idea con las con-cepciones kuhnianas de la percepción, la inconmensurabilidad, y el significado de las teorías científicas. El autor considera las principales críticas de la filosofía de Kuhn y, al examinar el pensamiento kuhniano en relación con su contexto histórico y con otras filosofías de la ciencia más recientes, sostiene que dicho pensamiento revela un compromiso residual con varias tesis típicas del empi-rismo positivista que recusa. Concluye considerando la influencia de Kuhn sobre la historia de la filosofía de la ciencia y planteando la cuestión de cómo roturar este campo de investigación a la luz de las ideas kuhnianas.

Alexander Bird

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