This anthology traces the development of thinking in the philosophy of science from logical positivism to the present. Subsequent articles often clarify or critique preceding ones. As a result, students get a sense of how philosophical theories develop in response to one another.

What can come of a scientific engagement with postmodern philosophy? Some scientists have claimed that the social sciences and humanities have nothing to contribute, except perhaps peripherally, to their research. Dorothea E. Olkowski shows that the historic link between science and philosophy, mathematics itself, plays a fundamental role in the development of the worldviews that drive both fields. Focusing on language, its expression of worldview and usage, she develops a phenomenological account of human thought and action to explicate the role of philosophy in the sciences. Olkowski proposes a model of phenomenology, both scientific and philosophical, that helps make sense of reality and composes an ethics for dealing with unpredictability in our world.

What is science? -- Scientific inference -- Explanation in science -- Realism and anti-realism -- Scientific change and scientific revolutions -- Philosophical problems in physics, biology, and psychology -- Science and its critics.

Now in its second edition, this comprehensive textbook offers an exceptionally accessible yet in-depth introduction to the philosophy of social science. Students with no previous knowledge will find themselves taken on an engaging philosophical journey: the book’s unique dialogue format anticipates their most frequently asked questions and provides clear explanations of specialised terminology and essential contextualisation of contemporary debates. Encompassing both traditional and contemporary perspectives, the book explores the questions and debates raised by all the major theoretical positions in the philosophy of social science, including positivism, empiricism, rationalism, hermeneutics, feminist epistemology, postmodernism and critical realism. The first edition of this book had a Eurocentric bias, as does virtually all other textbooks covering this subject matter. This has been corrected in the second edition and includes a new chapter on the contributions of Islam to philosophy, natural science social science including sociology. The second edition also has a newly written chapter on pragmaticism and neo-pragmaticism, as well as strengthened coverage of hermeneutics, postmodernism and critical realism. The book‘s rich pedagogic support includes: point-by-point summaries introducing the scope of every chapter; discussion questions; further reading lists; and a glossary of key terminology. This excellent textbook is designed to provide every student with a clear understanding of important and complex issues. It is essential reading for all students of philosophy of social science, whether at undergraduate or Masters level and regardless of their disciplinary background.

It is argued that the conception of social science emerging today is one that involves a synthesis of radical constructivism and critical realism. The crucial challenge facing social science is a question of its public role: growing reflexivity in society has implications for the social production of knowledge and is bringing into question the separation of expert systems from other forms of knowledge.

Written for DNP and PhD nursing programs, this text, based on a unique team-taught philosophy of science nursing courses, distills challenging content and delivers it in clear, highly accessible language for professors untrained in philosophy and their students. Authored by a nurse researcher/philosopher team who developed and taught this course for more than 7 years, the book provides a unique, integrated viewpoint that avoids esoteric and overly theoretical discussions and facilitates a clear connection between the philosophy of science and nursing science and practice. This second edition offers enhanced clarity and encompasses updates in philosophy of science interpretation, nursing practice and science, and a still-emerging practice epistemology. It is distinguished by its increased emphasis on DNP investigation that relies on a fundamental relationship with evidence-based practice, as well as the informational needs of the PhD student and the type of research the PhD graduate is expected to produce. The bulk of the text focuses on basic principles and concepts of the philosophy of science in regard to the education of both DNP and PhD nursing students. The book discusses the concept of nursing as a “practice discipline” within historical and sociological contexts, and addresses the importance of philosophy of science knowledge within a practice discipline. It examines the controversial question of how much philosophy of science a doctoral student actually needs. The text concludes with a brief introduction to nursing science knowledge content that is an essential “bridge” to the philosophy of science content and serves as a “next step” toward building a nursing epistemology. New to the Second Edition: Revised to enhance clarity of information Reflects contemporary trends in doctoral nursing education Updated Questions for Reflection offer scholarly discourse New appendix offers a sample semester-based syllabus based on the second edition Key Features: Provides concise, accessible information that makes clear connections to practical applications Written jointly by a philosopher and a nurse scholar who co-teach the course Facilitates student ability to see the real connection between philosophy and practice Increased focused content on how philosophy of science content is essential to understand evidence-based and practice-based evidence

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In 1996 physicist Alan Sokal published an essay in Social Text--an influential academic journal of cultural studies--touting the deep similarities between quantum gravitational theory and postmodern philosophy. Soon thereafter, the essay was revealed as a brilliant parody, a catalog of nonsense written in the cutting-edge but impenetrable lingo of postmodern theorists. The event sparked a furious debate in academic circles and made the headlines of newspapers in the U.S. and abroad. In Fashionable Nonsense: Postmodern Intellectuals' Abuse of Science, Sokal and his fellow physicist Jean Bricmont expand from where the hoax left off. In a delightfully witty and clear voice, the two thoughtfully and thoroughly dismantle the pseudo-scientific writings of some of the most fashionable French and American intellectuals. More generally, they challenge the widespread notion that scientific theories are mere "narrations" or social constructions.

"This book aims to advance scientific knowledge on research approaches used in systems engineering, software engineering, and information systems and to update,integrate, disperse and valuable knowledge on research approaches"--