The Metaphysics of Science

The roots of this work lie in my earlier book, Scientific Progress, which first appeared in 1981. One of its topics, the distinction - tween scientific laws and theories, is there treated with reference to the same distinction as drawn by N. R. Campbell in his Physics: The Elements. Shortly after completing Scientific Progress, I read Rom Harré's The Principles of Scientific Thinking, in which the concept of theory is even more clearly delineated than in Campbell, being directly connected to the notion of a model as it was in my book. In subsequent considerations regarding science, Harré's work thus - came my main source of inspiration with regard to theories, while Campbell's remained my main source with respect to empirical laws. Around the same time I also read William Whewell's Philosophy of the Inductive Sciences. In this work, Whewell depicts principles as playing a central role in the formation of science, and conceives of them in much the same way as Kant conceives of fundamental synthetic a priori judgements. The idea that science should have principles as a basic element immediately made sense to me, and from that time I have thought of science in terms of laws, theories and principles.

Takes a Metaphysical approach to the subject Coherent view of science that trnascents the boundries of professional philosophy of science Provides a realistic conception of the enterprise than can be found there

Auteur
Craig Dilworth, born and raised in Canada, received his PhD in Sweden in 1981. He is presently Reader in Theoretical Philosophy at Uppsala University. While he is fundamentally a philosopher, Dilworth is at the same time a true generalist. He has been engaged in a wide variety of environmental projects on the local level, while at the same time developing his intellectual interests in the philosophy of science, human ecology, theoretical physics, theoretical biology, and the social sciences. He is the author of two major works in the philosophy of science, Scientific Progress and The Metaphysics of Science, and an earlier book in environmental science, Sustainable Development and Decision Making. He has spent the past 15 years researching the present book.

Contenu
Empiricism Vs. Realism The Perennial Debate In The Philosophy Of Science.- Fundamental And Refined Principles: The Core Of Modern Science.- Empirical Laws: The Supervention Of Experience.- Scientific Theories: Closing The Circle.- The Principle-Theory-Law Model Of Scientific Explanation.- The Social Sciences: A Consideration Of Economics.- Natural Kinds.- Probability And Confirmation.- Empiricism Vs. Realism Revisited.- Modern Science And The Future.