Philosophy of science

The philosophy of science is the branch of philosophy which studies the philosophical foundations, assumptions, and implications of science, including the natural sciences such as physics and biology, and the social sciences, such as psychology and economics. In this respect, the philosophy of science is closely related to epistemology and ontology. It seeks to explain such things as: the nature of scientific statements and concepts; the way in which they are produced; how science explains, predicts and, through technology, harnesses nature; the means for determining the validity of information; the formulation and use of the scientific method; the types of reasoning used to arrive at conclusions; and the implications of scientific methods and models for the larger society, and for the sciences themselves.

References

• Snyder, Paul, Toward One Science: The Convergence of Traditions, St Martin's Press, 1977, cloth ISBN 0-312-81011-3, paper ISBN 0-312-81012-1.
• Van Fraassen, Bas C., The Scientific Image, Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1980, ISBN 0-198-24427-4.
• Boyd, R.; Paul Gasper; J. D. Trout, Ed. (1991) The Philosophy of Science. Cambridge, Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers.
• Harre, R. (1972) The Philosophies of Science: An Introductory Survey. London, Oxford University Press.
• Klemke, E. et. al. Ed. (1998). Introductory Readings in The Philosophy of Science. Amherst, New York, Prometheus Books.
• Kuipers, T.A.F. (2001). Structures in Science. An Advanced Textbook in Neo-Classical Philosophy of Science. Synthese Library, Springer.
• Ladyman, J. (2002) Understanding Philosophy of Science, London, Routledge.
• Losee, J. (1998). A Historical Introduction to The Philosophy of Science. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
• Niiniluoto, I. (2002) Critical Scientific Realism. Oxford, Oxford University Press
• Pap, A. (1962). An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science. New York, The Free Press.
• Papineau, D. Ed. (1997). The Philosophy of Science. Oxford Readings in Philosophy. Oxford, Oxford University Press.
• Rosenberg, A. (2000). Philosophy of Science: A Contemporary Introduction. London, Routledge.
• Salmon, M. H. et. al. (1999). Introduction to the Philosophy of Science: A Text By Members of the Department of the History and Philosophy of Science of the University of Pittsburgh. Indianapolis, Hacket Publishing Company.
• Newton-Smith, W. H. Ed. (2001). A Companion To The Philosophy of Science. Blackwell Companions To Philosophy. Malden, Massachusetts, Blackwell Publishers.