Books in the Science & Its Conceptual Foundations S. series

This work seeks to show that science is rooted not just in conversation but in disagreement, doubt and uncertainty. Mara Beller argues that it is precisely this culture of dialogue and controversy within the scientific community that fuels creativity.

A consideration of whether scientific knowledge is objective and universal or socially mediated, whether scientific truths are independent of human values and beliefs.

A history of population ecology which traces two generations of science and scientists from the opening of the 20th century through to 1970. The text chronicles the careers of key figures and the field's theoretical, empirical and institutional development.

In this introduction to philosophy of biology, Kim Sterelny and Paul E. Griffiths present both the science and the philosophical context necessary for a critical understanding of the debates shaping biology at the end of the 20th century.

Why have many members of the intellectual community embraced a radical relativism where knowledge in general and scientific knowledge in particular are concerned? Have Kuhn, Quine, and Feyerabend knocked the traditional picture of scientific knowledge into a cocked hat? Is philosophy of science, or mistaken impressions of it, responsible for the rise of relativism? In Science and Relativism, Larry offers a trenchant, wide-ranging critique of cognitive relativism and a thorough introduction to majorissues in the philosophy of knowledge.

Featuring a figure of early modern science, this text explores Robert Boyle's philosophy of experiment, a central aspect of his life and work. Philosophical, legal, experimental and religious traditions that played a part in shaping Boyle's experimental thought and practice are examined.

Ten papers by prominent philosophers of science which challenge van Fraassen's thesis from a variety of realist perspectives. Together with van Fraassen's extensive reply, the articles provide a comprehensive picture of the current debate in philosophy of science between realists and anti-realists.