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  3. A Philosopher Looks at Science
  • Cited by 12
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      June 2022
      June 2022
      ISBN:
      9781009201896
      9781009201889
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009201896
      Dimensions:
      Weight & Pages:
      Dimensions:
      (198 x 129 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.29kg, 222 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Economics, Economics: General Interest, Philosophy: General Interest, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy
      Series:
      A Philosopher Looks At
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    Subjects:
    Economics, Economics: General Interest, Philosophy: General Interest, Philosophy of Science, Philosophy
    Series:
    A Philosopher Looks At
    Information

    Book 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

    ‘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.’

    Source: Times Literary Supplement

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    Contents

    Contents
    • Introduction
      pp 1-11
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