What is Philosophy of Science?

What is Philosophy (Polity)

by Dean Rickles

Philosophy of science puts science itself under the microscope: What exactly is science? How do its explanations of the world differ from those of other subjects, including so-called "pseudo-sciences"? How should we understand and evaluate scientific methods? What, if anything, can science tell us about the nature of physical reality?

Dean Rickles guides beginners through the central topics in philosophy of science. He looks at the origins and evolution of the field, the issues that arise when distinguishing between science and non-science, the concepts of logic and associated problems, scientific realism and anti-realism, and the nature of scientific models and representing. Rickles brings the subject to sparkling life with a user-friendly tone and rich, real-world examples.

What is Philosophy of Science? is the must-have primer for students getting to grips with this broad-ranging and important topic.

Genres: Philosophy

187 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 20, 2020

Reviews

[William Mwasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's a good introductory read to philosophy of science. It highlights some of the questions at the heart of the 'scientific method' particularly David Hume's problem of induction. It also discusses the demarcation problem and shows apparent problems with how we conventionally distinguish science from pseudoscience. It briefly discusses scientific realism and anti-realism, albeit ineffectively so.
The book feels rushed and laborious in places but is good enough to excite and pique your interest especially in the first two chapters.