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Introduction: Philosophical Analyses of Scientific Progress

Shan, Yafeng (2022) Introduction: Philosophical Analyses of Scientific Progress. In: Shan, Yafeng, ed. New Philosophical Perspectives on Scientific Progress. Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Science . Routledge, New York, USA. ISBN 978-0-367-76055-7. (doi:10.4324/9781003165859) (Access to this publication is currently restricted. You may be able to access a copy if URLs are provided) (KAR id:95404)

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Abstract

Scientific progress is a hot topic in the philosophy of science. However, as yet we lack a comprehensive philosophical examination of scientific progress. First, the recent debate pays too much attention to the epistemic approach and the semantic approach. Shan’s new functional approach and Dellsén’s noetic approach are still insufficiently assessed. Second, there is little in-depth analysis of the progress in the history of the sciences. Third, many related philosophical issues are still to be explored. For example, what are the implications of scientific progress for the scientific realism/antirealism debate? Is the incommensurability thesis a challenge to scientific progress? What role does aesthetic values play in scientific progress? Does idealisation impede scientific progress? This book fills this gap. It offers a new assessment of the four main approaches to scientific progress (Part I). It also features eight historical case studies to investigate the notion of progress in different disciplines: physics, chemistry, evolutionary biology, seismology, psychology, sociology, economics, and medicine respectively (Part II). It discusses some issues related to scientific progress: scientific realism, incommensurability, values in science, idealisation, scientific speculation, interdisciplinarity, and scientific perspectivalism (Part III).

Item Type: Book section
DOI/Identification number: 10.4324/9781003165859
Subjects: B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Divisions: Divisions > Division of Arts and Humanities > Department of Philosophy
Depositing User: Yafeng Shan
Date Deposited: 12 Jun 2022 08:35 UTC
Last Modified: 12 Oct 2022 12:08 UTC
Resource URI: https://kar.kent.ac.uk/id/eprint/95404 (The current URI for this page, for reference purposes)

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