Science at the Frontiers: Perspectives on the History and Philosophy of Science

(Paperback)

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Science at the Frontiers: Perspectives on the History and Philosophy of Science brings new voices to the study of the history and philosophy of science. It supplements current literature on the history and philosophy of science, which is often focused on the philosophy of physics, by highlighting sciences that are overlooked by the current literature and by viewing classic problems in the field from new perspectives. William H. Krieger, himself an archaeologist and philosopher of science, brings together scientists, philosophers of science, and historians of science to write on the lessons that the field stands to learn from case studies in such disciplines as archaeology, medicine, biology, and others. These essays answer many of the questions that have resisted solution in the classical canon while raising new questions born out of new perspectives on the history and philosophy of science. Those studying the philosophy and history of science and those who are already practicing scientists, philosophers of science, and historians of science will gain a great deal from these essays.

Reviews

To quote Hegel, "We learn from history that we do not learn from history." In this short collection of essays, Krieger (Univ. of Rhode Island) attempts to redress this issue within the history and philosophy of science (HPS). The first half of the work contains essays that bring new ideas to traditional fields of study in HPS such as the much-researched history of medicine. The second half includes essays that attempt to invoke new ways of conceptualizing HPS....What is accomplished is a new voice provided within a field that has recently been characterized by either vitriol (in the case of the science wars) or recycling (in the case of much recent writing therein). Krieger manages to breathe some new life into the field, which bodes well for the next generation of scholarship in this discipline. The essays in both sections are consistently well written and interesting, and will likely appeal to both interested laypersons and scholars. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals; general readers. * Choice Reviews *
This is a highly innovative collection, attempting in a successful way to show the greater dimensions of science and medicine, illustrating through historical case studies and philosophical analysis the underlying metaphysical and cultural depths that lie under the surface of so much straight science. There are few who would not learn from this, from scholar to student. I recommend it strongly. -- Michael Ruse, Florida State University
The interesting essays in this book, mostly written by younger philosophers of science, cover a wide terrain that tends to be under-explored in the literature of the philosophy of science. Some of them are strikingly innovative and original as they draw novel lessons from the history of science, or deal with questions about the relations of science with values or with religion. Together, they show that the future of philosophy of science is in good hands. -- Hugh Lacey, Swarthmore College / Universidade de So Paulo

Author Bio

William H. Krieger is professor of philosophy at the University of Rhode Island.