ABSTRACT

Any serious student attempting to better understand the nature, methods, and justification of science will value Alex Rosenberg and Lee McIntyre’s updated and substantially revised fourth edition of Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction. Weaving lucid explanations with clear analyses, the volume is a much- used, thematically oriented introduction to the field.

The fourth edition has been thoroughly rewritten based on instructor and student feedback, to improve readability and accessibility, without sacrificing depth. It retains, however, all of the logically structured, extensive coverage of earlier editions, which a review in the journal Teaching Philosophy called “the industry standard” and “essential reading.”

Key Features of the Fourth Edition:

  • Revised and rewritten for readability based on feedback from student and instructor surveys.
  • Updated text on the problem of underdetermination, social science, and the realism/antirealism debate.
  • Improved continuity between chapters.
  • Revised and updated Study Questions and annotated Suggested Readings at the end of each chapter.
  • Updated Bibliography.

For a list of relevant online primary sources, please visit: www.routledge.com/9781138331518.

chapter 2|16 pages

Why Is Philosophy of Science Important?

chapter 3|20 pages

Scientific Explanation

chapter 4|18 pages

Why Do Laws Explain?

chapter 7|19 pages

The Structure of Scientific Theories

chapter 9|18 pages

Theory Construction vs. Model Building

chapter 10|21 pages

Induction and Probability

chapter 12|17 pages

Challenges from the History of Science

chapter 13|14 pages

Naturalism in the Philosophy of Science

chapter 14|19 pages

The Contested Character of Science

chapter 15|10 pages

Science, Relativism, and Objectivity