A Philosopher Looks at Science
Published on 22. June 2022
224 pages
978-1-009-20192-6 (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
Illustrations
Worked examples or Exercises
File size
2,32 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-009-20192-6 (9781009201926)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Nancy Cartwright
A Philosopher Looks at Science
Book
06/2022
Cambridge University Press
€19.90
Shipment within 15-20 days
Person
Content
Introduction: What's in this Book?; 1. Theory + Experiment do not a Science Make; 2. Dethroning the Queen; 3. A Nature more Negotiable.
