A Philosopher Looks at Science

Nancy Cartwright

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English

Cambridge University Press
30 June 2022

Philosophy; Philosophy: epistemology & theory of knowledge; Popular philosophy; History of ideas; Philosophy of science; Popular science

Series: A Philosopher Looks At

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.

By: Nancy Cartwright
Imprint: Cambridge University Press
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Edition: New edition
Dimensions: Height: 198mm, Width: 129mm, Spine: 19mm
Weight: 290g
ISBN: 9781009201889
ISBN 10: 1009201883
Series: A Philosopher Looks At
Pages: 222
Publication Date: 30 June 2022
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Nancy Cartwright is Professor of Philosophy at Durham University and Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, San Diego. Her publications include The Dappled World: A Study of the Boundaries of Science (Cambridge, 1999), Hunting Causes and Using Them: Approaches in Philosophy and Economics (Cambridge, 2007), and Nature, the Artful Modeler (2019).

Reviews for A Philosopher Looks at Science

'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.' Times Literary Supplement