General Philosophy of Science: Focal Issues

Scientists, who are working for different issues. Compare the biological notion of a 'natural kind' with the general notion of 'confirmation' of a hypothesis by certain evidence. Or, compare the physical principle of the 'unity of science'. Scientists agree that all might not.

An important task of the philosophy of the special sciences, such as the philosophy of physics, of biology and of economics. Similarly, an important task of 'general' philosophy of science and concepts like 'the unity of science'. It is evident that it does not do justice to the slavishly. That is, occasionally a philosopher may have a good reason to believe in a standard use. Frequently, this amounts to a different kind of conflation of different meanings.

Pertaining to specific issues of the general philosophy of science.

After an editorial introduction, the first five chapters deal with the following subjects. Laws, theories, and research programs as units of empirical knowledge (Theo Kuipers), the past and contemporary perspectives on explanation (Ilkka Niiniluto), and the role of experiments in the natural sciences, notably physics and biology (Allan Franklin), and their roles in the social sciences, notably economics (Wenceslao Gonzalez).

In the Following Three Chapters, Philosophy and Research Methods (James Ladyman), Reduction, Integration, and the Unity of Science and the humanities (William Bechtel and Andrew Hamilton), and logical, historical and computational approaches to the philosophy of science (Atocha Aliseda and Donald Gillies).

The volume concludes with the much debated question of the 20th Century (Friedrich Stadler).

- Comprehensive coverage of the philosophy of science written by leading philosophers in this field
- Clear style of writing for an interdisciplinary audience
- No specific pre-knowledge required

Introduction
Explication in Philosophy of Science (Theo Kuipers)
Laws, Theories, and Research Programs (Theo Kuipers)
Past and Contemporary Perspectives on Explanation Varieties of explanation (Stathis Psillos)
Evaluation of Theories (Ilkka Niiniluoto)
The Role of Experiments in the Natural Sciences: Examples from Physics and Biology (Allan Franklin)
The Role of Experiments in the Social Sciences: The Case of Economics (Wenceslao J. Gonzalez)
Ontological, Epistemological, and Methodological Positions (James Ladyman)
Reduction, Integration, and the Unity of Science: Natural, Behavioral, and Social Sciences and the Humanities (William Bechtel and Andrew Hamilton)
Logical, Historical, and Computational Approaches (Atocha Aliseda and Donald Gillies)
Demarcating Science from Non-science (Martin Mahner)
History of the Philosophy of Science (Friedrich Stadler)