The Routledge Handbook of Mechanisms and Mechanical Philosophy (Routledge Handbooks in Philosophy)
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.74 (961 Votes) |
| Asin | : | B073RP7QZL |
| Format Type | : | |
| Number of Pages | : | 504 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2014-07-13 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
It will be invaluable for anyone with an interest in this topic." - James Woodward, University of Pittsburgh, USA "These days philosophers are sure to encounter the notion of mechanism in more discussions of science than ever before. But mechanistic philosophy is as broad as it is varied, so a reliable guide is much needed. Assembled and curated with care, erudition, and excitement, this volume shows off the depth and breadth of the ways in which mechanisms figure in science, metaphysics, epistemology, and history of philosophy." - Anna Alexandrova, University of Cambridge, UK"Glennan and Illari have put together a definitive overview of the many ways in which paying attention to mechanisms can illuminate scientific practice. "This terrific state-of-the-art volume provides a very thorough overview of the history of thinking about mechanisms, methodological and ontological issues surroundi
Stuart Glennan is the Harry T. Ice Professor of Philosophy and Associate Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Butler University, USA.Phyllis Illari is Senior Lecturer in Philosophy of Science in the Science and Technology Studies Department at University College London, UK.
Comprising over thirty chapters by a team of international contributors, the Handbook is divided into four Parts:Historical perspectives on mechanismsThe nature of mechanismsMechanisms and the philosophy of scienceDisciplinary perspectives on mechanisms.Within these Parts central topics and problems are examined, including the rise of mechanical philosophy in the seventeenth century; what mechanisms are made of and how they are organized; mechanisms and laws and regularities; how mechanisms are discovered and explained; dynamical systems theory; and disciplinary perspectives from physics, chemistry, biology, biomedicine, ecology, neuroscience, and the social sciences.Essential reading for students and researchers in philosophy of science, the Handbook will also be of interest to those in related fields, such as metaphysics, philosophy of psychology, and history of science.. Scientists studying the burning of stars, the evolution of species, DNA, the brain, the economy, and social change, all frequently describe their work as searching for mechanisms. Despite this fact, for much of the twentieth century philosophical discussions of the nature of mechanisms remained outside philosoph