Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science (Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series) 1st Edition

by Peter Godfrey-Smith (Author)

54 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0226300634

ISBN-10: 0226300633

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How does science work? Does it tell us what the world is "really" like? What makes it different from other ways of understanding the universe? In Theory and Reality, Peter Godfrey-Smith addresses these questions by taking the reader on a grand tour of one hundred years of debate about science. The result is a completely accessible introduction to the main themes of the philosophy of science.

Intended for undergraduates and general readers with no prior background in philosophy, Theory and Reality covers logical positivism; the problems of induction and confirmation; Karl Popper's theory of science; Thomas Kuhn and "scientific revolutions"; the views of Imre Lakatos, Larry Laudan, and Paul Feyerabend; and challenges to the field from sociology of science, feminism, and science studies. The book then looks in more detail at some specific problems and theories, including scientific realism, the theory-ladeness of observation, scientific explanation, and Bayesianism. Finally, Godfrey-Smith defends a form of philosophical naturalism as the best way to solve the main problems in the field.

Throughout the text he points out connections between philosophical debates and wider discussions about science in recent decades, such as the infamous "science wars." Examples and asides engage the beginning student; a glossary of terms explains key concepts; and suggestions for further reading are included at the end of each chapter. However, this is a textbook that doesn't feel like a textbook because it captures the historical drama of changes in how science has been conceived over the last one hundred years.

Like no other text in this field, Theory and Reality combines a survey of recent history of the philosophy of science with current key debates in language that any beginning scholar or critical reader can follow.

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Editorial Reviews

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About the Author

Peter Godfrey-Smith is an associate professor of philosophy and of history and philosophy of science at Stanford University. He is the author of Complexity and the Function of Mind in Nature.

Series: Science and Its Conceptual Foundations series
Paperback: 272 pages
Publisher: University of Chicago Press; 1st edition (August 1, 2003)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0226300633
ISBN-13: 978-0226300634
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 54 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #145 in Books > Textbooks > Humanities > Philosophy
- #300 in Books > Science & Math > History & Philosophy
- #821 in Books > Textbooks > Science & Mathematics

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H. Sætra

Starts out brilliantly but loses some steam towards the end

May 29, 2011

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This book has a lot of great qualities. It is a very good introduction to the concepts and the history of philosophy of science. I bought it because I wanted to know more about the essentials of philosophy of science, and it served the purpose splendidly. Logical positivism, Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos etc. are all covered and discussed in a clear and concise way.

Another good thing about the book is the fact that it is very well written, and has a style that I happened to enjoy very much. It's somewhat personal, and reading the book sort of feels like having a private talk with the author - a person that knows a lot about what he's talking about. A part of this feeling comes from the fact that Godfrey-Smith constantly tells us what he feels about the themes discussed, and while some would prefer a more "pure" presentation of the facts without judgements, I think the author has managed to present his opinion in a very valuable way in this book. He is very clear about when he actually presents his own ideas, and he also lets us know that there are other views than his out there. This honesty makes sure the presentation is not plagued with bias, and Godfrey-Smith certainly seems qualified to give his opinions.

The title of this review will make it clear that the review so far has mostly been about the first 2/3 or so of the book. I personally think it all falls somewhat apart when he goes from presenting the essential ideas and persons in philosophy of science to presenting his "new" philosophy of science. Naturalism is what Godfrey-Smith prefers, and the chapters describing it feels far less strong than the previous ones. While I enjoy his input when discussing the other themes, I don't think the chapters consisting mostly of his opinions alone are as good. Others will probably disagree, though, as they may see more value in what I feel is basically a collection and re-branding of obvious strong-points from other theories covered earlier in the book. Me feeling this way can surely be caused by me not understanding what Godfrey-Smith is trying to say, but I still feel like I understand most of it, and it still feels like an act of product differentiation in order to make his contribution seem more novel than it really is.

Anyway, I still recommend the book wholeheartedly, as I truly enjoyed reading it, while learning a lot about philosophy of science.

On a closing note: I find the book more suited for self-study for anyone interested than as a text-book for class adaption, as the style and presentation in my opinion does not work as great for a text-book.

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efiw

Lucid, informatve and delightfully written

December 16, 2010

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

Many, many years ago, while doing my major graduate science in physics, I conducted a secret roman with the philosophy of science - reading books, perusing articles and going to lectures in the field.
Life has taken me in different directions and now, retired, I looked for an introductory text that will help me reestablished and solidify former learning, update and inform on recent developments and, maybe, rekindle the flame.
Godfrey-Smith's book did a superb job for me. In a fluent and lucid prose, sprinkled with temperate wit and with idiosyncratic observations (more to this later) he discusses the main currents of thought in the philosophy of science, from the rise and decline of logical empiricism through the upheavals of Popper and Kuhn to contemporary schools of Bayesianism and modern theory of evidence.
Godfrey-Smith's order of presentation is mostly chronological (and when he departs from this order, he does so for good didactic reasons), but he takes care to make short references to the content of former and future chapters, so that his reader never loses his bearings in the maze.
Contrary to some of the other reviewers here I see it as a merit of the book that the author does not confines himself to discussion of the topics but offers - always explicitly with due transparency - his own point of view and beliefs. This helps not only to enliven the discussion but has the effect of stimulating the reader, so to speak, to weigh himself on the suject matter. When done with proper care and humility this is a goo way to progress, even for a beginner introducing herself or himself to the matter.
Godfrey-Smith's "naturalistic" approach allows for much influence from the working sciences on the philosophy of science. To me, at least, this sounds quite sensible. What I missed was a discussion of the opposite direction: What role, if any, should or could the philosophy of science assume in directing the researcher's path and choices? Godfrey-Smith's touches the matter only cursorily: Right a the beginning he intoduces the difference between a 'normative' and a 'descriptive' approach, here an there he clearly points to the limitations in the normative thinking of e.g. Karl Popper and on the other hand summarily discard Feyerabend's "everything goes" view as 'too wild'. But I on my part would like to see a more comprehensive handling of this topic.
All in all, I heartily recommend this book to everybody seeking an intelligent and readable introduction to the philosophy of science.

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Lloyd W. Davis

I really enjoyed reading this book and it covers material from the ...

October 24, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

I really enjoyed reading this book and it covers material from the history of science and philosophy that provided me with a better understanding about from where we came to where we are and where we are going in philosophy of science. This is a good book to read if you are new to the field or if you are a versed in the subject.

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Most recent customer reviews

Clifton

Five Stars

You need a dictionary when reading this book.

Published 1 month ago

Amazon Customer

confusing and infuriating

Throughout the book the author contradicts himself and I believe that this book should not be used as a textbook for college courses period.

Published 3 months ago

Justin Hawkins

Insightful and Readable

An insightful summary of 200+ years of scientific philosophy, written by a professor in a semi-casual tone. Very readable.

Published 9 months ago

Matt White

One Star

Horrible read but it was required for class.

Published 10 months ago

ZoeSun

Definitely a good book to read if you are in social science ...

Definitely a good book to read if you are in social science that is pre-populated with scientific, quantitative, experimental standards (yes, I'm talking about psychology).Read more

Very well done but you will need to pace yourself

Really good, serious introduction that demands serous engagement of a reader with only a casual background in philosophy.Read more

Published 1 year ago

Michael George

an excellent summary and supplement for introductory philosophy of science

This book is an extremely good summary, to a large extent in chronological order, of many of the main developments in philosophy of science (over the past hundred years or so),...Read more

Published on February 7, 2016

Lennart Brimstedt

... is knowledgeable and has a clear prose it is like the saying goes

Although the author is knowledgeable and has a clear prose it is like the saying goes: philosophy is a waste of time.

Published on January 28, 2016

Clifton Wayne Knox

This is book is a mind opening experience on the subject of science.

This book takes the reader far from the almost mystical like admiration taught in popular culture. It shows us that science is both objective and at times subjective.Read more

Published on November 28, 2015

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