Foresight and Understanding: An Inquiry into the Aims of Science

by Stephen Toulmin, Jacques Barzun (Foreword)

Foreword by Jacques Barzun. A clean, unmarked and unclipped copy in a Brodart jacket cover.

Genres: Philosophy, Science, Nonfiction

117 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1961

Reviews

[Evinpinar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Written right before the beginning of the information era, the perception and evolution of science is very well explained by good examples that generalize and show some patterns. There is no chronological history; rather it is a mixture of historical points and discussions on what made them survive. "The greatest fame is reserved for those who conceive new frameworks of fundamental ideas, and so integrate apparently disconnected branches of science. Newton, Maxwell and Darwin are best remembered, not as great experimenters nor observers, but as a critical and imaginative creators of new intellectual systems."

[Lobstergirl · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another in a continuing series: books I was assigned to read in college but *cough* couldn't find the time to. This is a very brief epistemological investigation (by a philosopher) of how science is done. Using examples such as Aristotle, Ptolemy, Galileo, Newton, Kant, Boyle, and Lavoisier, Toulmin argues that we shouldn't dismiss as naive the efforts of earlier scientists (or natural philosophers) just because their explanations don't comport with the "facts" or systems of thought we have in place today. On the contrary, their work was an essential kind of timber-clearing that made possible the edifices of modern science.

[Cassandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short book on the purpose and brief history of key scientific theories. Good for those without deep knowledge of either science or philosophy as its a good intro into the philosophy of science. Worth a read~

[Truls Ljungström · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jag läste denna, eftersom Mary Hesse refererar till den. I princip innehöll den ingenting bortom det Hesse tog upp, som faktiskt är värdefullt. Det är en trevligt skriven bok - det är inget fel på den så - men... tja - jag lärde mig inte heller något.