Review by Choice Review
This second edition of The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Science follows on the heels of the highly regarded first edition (CH, Sep'08, 46-0251), edited by Curd (Purdue Univ.) and Psillos (Univ. of Athens, Greece). None of the original 55 essays has been removed, but 7 additional ones have been added ("Conventionalism," "Social Epistemology," "Computer Simulation," "Thought Experiments," "Pseudoscience," "Species and Taxonomy," and "Cosmology"). One might argue that the first edition was so strong that many readers missed the lacunae filled by these additional contributions. The original introduction has been maintained with minor edits, providing an overview to the themes and history of the field. As with the first edition, lay readers and new students in the field may find the discussions a bit difficult, but any serious student of the subject will find it an invaluable resource. The general format of splitting the subject into four areas ("Historical and Philosophical Context," "Debates," "Concepts," and "Individual Sciences") remains from the first edition. Aside from the excellent essays themselves, one of the best features from the previous edition also remains: a short paragraph following each topical essay gives the contributing author's suggestions for additional reading. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above. B. Mitchell Sanford-Brown College
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Psillos (Scientific Realism) and Curd (Principles of Reasoning) have amassed essays by 58 internationally dispersed integrative science and philosophy scholars. Divided into four parts, the book's multipage essays discuss historical and philosophical contexts, explain debates surrounding various isms, unpack broad philoscientific concepts like causation, and survey individual areas that employ scientific approaches, including economics and mathematics. While filled with allusions and field-specific language not accessible to uninitiated readers, the essays illuminate more abstruse philosophical tracts and make carefully measured connections between the higher realms of science and the actual world. Highly recommended for history of science and philosophy collections.--Savannah Schroll Guz, formerly with the Smithsonian Inst. Lib., Washington, DC (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Choice Review
Review by Library Journal Review
