Hi
I have acquired a new book recently. Its name is Science, Truth, and Democracy and is written by Philip Kitcher (ISBN 0-19-516552-7).
What do you think of it? Do you have any opinions regarding the book?
Aetixintro
Science, Truth, and Democracy
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Aetixintro
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I'm a big fan of Kitcher. He's one of the best philosophers of science in the world and deserves to be read more widely.
This book outlines his thoughts on various issues in the philosophy of science, including realism/antirealism, scientific progress and scientific explanation. Although he still supports scientific realism and the view that science is progressive, he takes a much more pragmatic line in this book than in his earlier work, The Advancement of Science (1993). There is also an attempt to engage with the politics of science in this book, as Kitcher addresses the role of science in democratic societies.
The book is also more 'popular' than The Advancement of Science (1993) in that it uses very few footnotes and technical philosophical language. Not sure I agree with everything he says but, as always with Kitcher, he writes in nice clean prose with very clear arguments. Highly recommended.
If you like this book, Kitcher has just published a book with OUP called Living with Darwin. This is basically an attack on intelligent design. Shooting fish in a barrel? Perhaps, but Kitcher was there at the beginning on this one with his Abusing Science (1982). Again, this is a more popular book and Kitcher's views on the subject have mellowed with the passage of time. Infinitely preferable to the usual Dawkins rant.
This book outlines his thoughts on various issues in the philosophy of science, including realism/antirealism, scientific progress and scientific explanation. Although he still supports scientific realism and the view that science is progressive, he takes a much more pragmatic line in this book than in his earlier work, The Advancement of Science (1993). There is also an attempt to engage with the politics of science in this book, as Kitcher addresses the role of science in democratic societies.
The book is also more 'popular' than The Advancement of Science (1993) in that it uses very few footnotes and technical philosophical language. Not sure I agree with everything he says but, as always with Kitcher, he writes in nice clean prose with very clear arguments. Highly recommended.
If you like this book, Kitcher has just published a book with OUP called Living with Darwin. This is basically an attack on intelligent design. Shooting fish in a barrel? Perhaps, but Kitcher was there at the beginning on this one with his Abusing Science (1982). Again, this is a more popular book and Kitcher's views on the subject have mellowed with the passage of time. Infinitely preferable to the usual Dawkins rant.