
A Philosopher Looks at Science
Nancy Cartwright(Author)
Cambridge University Press
Published on 30. June 2022
Book
Paperback/Softback
222 pages
978-1-009-20188-9 (ISBN)
Description
What is science and what can it do? Nancy Cartwright here takes issue with three common images of science: that it amounts to the combination of theory and experiment; that all science is basically reducible to physics; and that science and the natural world which it pictures are deterministic. The author's innovative and thoughtful book draws on examples from the physical, life, and social sciences alike, and focuses on all the products of science - not just experiments or theories - and how they work together. She reveals just what it is that makes science ultimately reliable, and how this reliability is nevertheless still compatible with a view of nature as more responsive to human change than we might think. Her book is a call for greater intellectual humility by and within scientific institutions. It will have strong appeal to anyone who thinks about science and how it is practised in society.
Reviews / Votes
'When the philosopher Nancy Cartwright looks at science ... she challenges the image of scientists who simply produce bold theories and put these to experimental tests. She sees a rich and complex network of activities and methods; together they help us to develop the concepts in which our theories are formulated, build models and forge narratives with which to understand the world, and create the phenomena required to put these theories to work and to the test.' Times Literary SupplementMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Cambridge
United Kingdom
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
Thickness: 13 mm
Weight
244 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-009-20188-9 (9781009201889)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

Nancy Cartwright
Philosopher Looks at Science
E-Book
06/2022
Cambridge University Press
€10.49
Available for download

Nancy Cartwright
A Philosopher Looks at Science
E-Book
06/2022
Cambridge University Press
€11.99
Available for download
Person
Nancy Cartwright is Professor of Philosophy at Durham University and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego. Her publications include The Dappled World: A Study of the Boundaries of Science (Cambridge, 1999), Hunting Causes and Using Them: Approaches in Philosophy and Economics (Cambridge, 2007), and Nature, the Artful Modeler (2019).
Content
Introduction: What's in this Book?; 1. Theory + Experiment do not a Science Make; 2. Dethroning the Queen; 3. A Nature more Negotiable.