The Scientific Realism of Aristotle's Theory of Kinds in The Categories
Author: Mark Lowell Starr
Publisher:
Published: 1988
Total Pages: 304
ISBN-13:
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Natural Categories and Human Kinds
Author: Muhammad Ali Khalidi
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2013-05-16
Total Pages: 267
ISBN-13: 1107244595
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThe notion of 'natural kinds' has been central to contemporary discussions of metaphysics and philosophy of science. Although explicitly articulated by nineteenth-century philosophers like Mill, Whewell and Venn, it has a much older history dating back to Plato and Aristotle. In recent years, essentialism has been the dominant account of natural kinds among philosophers, but the essentialist view has encountered resistance, especially among naturalist metaphysicians and philosophers of science. Informed by detailed examination of classification in the natural and social sciences, this book argues against essentialism and for a naturalist account of natural kinds. By looking at case studies drawn from diverse scientific disciplines, from fluid mechanics to virology and polymer science to psychiatry, the author argues that natural kinds are nodes in causal networks. On the basis of this account, he maintains that there can be natural kinds in the social sciences as well as the natural sciences.
A Realist Theory of Science
Author: Roy Bhaskar
Publisher: Verso Books
Published: 2020-05-05
Total Pages: 367
ISBN-13: 1789603536
DOWNLOAD EBOOKA 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.
The Semantic Conception of Theories and Scientific Realism
Author: Frederick Suppe
Publisher: University of Illinois Press
Published: 1989
Total Pages: 508
ISBN-13: 9780252016059
DOWNLOAD EBOOK"An authoritative account of the semantic conception of theories by one of its chief developers. Suppe has always seen the semantic conception as providing a way of moving beyond empiricist philosophies of science. This book provides the definitive account of his views not only on the issue of realism, but also on a variety of other issues central to the philosophy of science." -- Ronald N. Giere, author of Explaining Science: A Cognitive Approach
Scientific Realism and the Rationality of Science
Author: Howard Sankey
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2016-04-01
Total Pages: 174
ISBN-13: 1317058801
DOWNLOAD EBOOKScientific realism is the position that the aim of science is to advance on truth and increase knowledge about observable and unobservable aspects of the mind-independent world which we inhabit. This book articulates and defends that position. In presenting a clear formulation and addressing the major arguments for scientific realism Sankey appeals to philosophers beyond the community of, typically Anglo-American, analytic philosophers of science to appreciate and understand the doctrine. The book emphasizes the epistemological aspects of scientific realism and contains an original solution to the problem of induction that rests on an appeal to the principle of uniformity of nature.
Varieties of Scientific Realism
Author: Evandro Agazzi
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2017-03-08
Total Pages: 405
ISBN-13: 3319516086
DOWNLOAD EBOOKThis book offers a comprehensive update on the scientific realism debate, enabling readers to gain a novel appreciation of the role of objectivity and truth in science and to understand fully the various ways in which antirealist conceptions have been subjected to challenge over recent decades. Authoritative representatives of different philosophical traditions explain their perspectives on the meaning and validity of scientific realism and describe the strategies being adopted to counter persisting antirealist positions. The coverage extends beyond the usual discussion of realism within the context of the natural sciences, and especially physics, to encompass also its applicability in mathematics, logic, and the human sciences. The book will appeal to all with an interest in the recent realist epistemologies of science, the nature of current philosophical debate, and the ongoing rehabilitation of truth as the legitimate goal of scientific research.
An Aristotelian Realist Philosophy of Mathematics
Author: J. Franklin
Publisher: Springer
Published: 2014-04-09
Total Pages: 316
ISBN-13: 1137400730
DOWNLOAD EBOOKMathematics is as much a science of the real world as biology is. It is the science of the world's quantitative aspects (such as ratio) and structural or patterned aspects (such as symmetry). The book develops a complete philosophy of mathematics that contrasts with the usual Platonist and nominalist options.
Aristotle's Revenge
Author: Edward Feser
Publisher:
Published: 2019
Total Pages: 0
ISBN-13: 9783868382006
DOWNLOAD EBOOKActuality and potentiality, substantial form and prime matter, efficient causality and teleology are among the fundamental concepts of Aristotelian philosophy of nature. Aristotle's Revenge argues that these concepts are not only compatible with modern science, but are implicitly presupposed by modern science. Among the many topics covered are: The metaphysical presuppositions of scientific method. The status of scientific realism The metaphysics of space and time. The metaphysics of quantum mechanics. Reductionism in chemistry and biology. The metaphysics of evolution. Neuroscientific reductionism. The book interacts heavily with the literature on these issues in contemporary analytic metaphysics and philosophy of science, so as to bring contemporary philosophy and science into dialogue with the Aristotelian tradition.
Aristotle's First Principles
Author: Terence Irwin
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1990
Total Pages: 721
ISBN-13: 0198242905
DOWNLOAD EBOOKAristotle's reliance on dialectic as a method of philosophy appears to conflict with his metaphysical realist view of his conclusions. This book explores Aristotle's philosophical method and the merits of his conclusions, and shows how he defends dialectic against the objection that it cannot justify a metaphysical realist's claims. The author does not presuppose extensive previous acquaintance with Aristotle. Greek texts are translated, and Greek words transliterated.
A Metaphysics for Scientific Realism
Author: Anjan Chakravartty
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Published: 2007-10-18
Total Pages: 235
ISBN-13: 1139468391
DOWNLOAD EBOOKScientific realism is the view that our best scientific theories give approximately true descriptions of both observable and unobservable aspects of a mind-independent world. Debates between realists and their critics are at the very heart of the philosophy of science. Anjan Chakravartty traces the contemporary evolution of realism by examining the most promising strategies adopted by its proponents in response to the forceful challenges of antirealist sceptics, resulting in a positive proposal for scientific realism today. He examines the core principles of the realist position, and sheds light on topics including the varieties of metaphysical commitment required, and the nature of the conflict between realism and its empiricist rivals. By illuminating the connections between realist interpretations of scientific knowledge and the metaphysical foundations supporting them, his book offers a compelling vision of how realism can provide an internally consistent and coherent account of scientific knowledge.
