GENERAL PREFACE
Dov Gabbay, Paul Thagard and John Woods
Whenever science operates at the cutting edge of what is known, it invariably
runs into philosophical issues about the nature of knowledge and reality. Scientific
controversies raise such questions as the relation of theory and experiment, the
nature of explanation, and the extent to which science can approximate to the
truth. Within particular sciences, special concerns arise about what exists and
how it can be known, for example in physics about the nature of space and time,
and in psychology about the nature of consciousness. Hence the philosophy of
science is an essential part of the scientific investigation of the world.
In recent decades, philosophy of science has become an increasingly central
part of philosophy in general. Although there are still philosophers who think
that theories of knowledge and reality can be developed by pure reflection, much
current philosophical work finds it necessary and valuable to take into account
relevant scientific findings. For example, the philosophy of mind is now closely
tied to empirical psychology, and political theory often intersects with economics.
Thus philosophy of science provides a valuable bridge between philosophical and
scientific inquiry.
More and more, the philosophy of science concerns itself not just with general
issues about the nature and validity of science, but especially with particular issues
that arise in specific sciences. Accordingly, we have organized this Handbook into
many volumes reflecting the full range of current research in the philosophy of
science. We invited volume editors who are fully involved in the specific sciences,
and are delighted that they have solicited contributions by scientifically-informed
philosophers and (in a few cases) philosophically-informed scientists. The result
is the most comprehensive review ever provided of the philosophy of science.
Here are the volumes in the Handbook:
