Liberty and the Pursuit of Knowledge

Rezensionen / Stimmen

By reviving Charles Renouvier's philosophy of science, Warren Schmaus contributes to the growing literature on political philosophy of science, given that Renouvier argues that science rests on a social contract based on conventions. Compellingly written and thoroughly researched, this book adds essential components to the history of the philosophy of science. * David J. Stump, University of San Francisco * Renouvier certainly deserves more consideration than he has received to date. As Schmaus shows quite convincingly, Renouvier's philosophy is a crucial step between Comte's positivism and Poincare's conventionalism. The way Renouvier grounds his epistemology on a liberal social theory will prove useful for anyone who wishes to give sense to the idea of a social philosophy of science. * Michel Bourdeau, Institut d'histoire et de philosophie des sciences et des techniques, Paris * ...an important introduction to Renouvier's thought....Written in clear and accessible prose, this brief work successfully introduces Renouvier's political philosophy of science and other dimensions of his thought. A solid addition to the literature on 19th-century French intellectual history. * A.D. Schrift, Grinnell College * ...the book does an excellent job of introducing Renouvier to a reader not fully immersed in nineteenth-century French culture and thought....well researched and thoroughly written. * Howard Sankey, University of Melbourne * I am very glad that this book exists. I hope it will be widely read. It does an excellent job of focusing in on one aspect of Renouvier's philosophy and shows that it should be taken very seriously. * Jeremy Dunham, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews * The book provides detailed scholarly analysis of the ideas of Renouvier which will be of interest to philosophers of science, especially those engaged with the history of the subject. . . .The book does an excellent job of introducing Renouvier to a reader not fully immersed in nineteenth-century French culture and thought. * Metascience *