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This book provides a fresh and ecumenic understanding of naturalism for contemporary philosophers and scientists who, while accepting naturalism as a standard for doing philosophy and science, understand it often very differently. It also demonstrates that to see naturalism in opposition to socio-historical approaches is an unwarranted as well as unwanted scheme for our overall conception of empirical inquiry. By bringing together naturalism and historicism, this book provides a unique perspective on the philosophy of science that is of interest not only to philosophers, but also those interested in the history of science and the sociology of scientific knowledge.
List of contents
Preface.- Acknowledgments.- Chapter 1. In Medias Res: Philosophy in Naturalism.- Chapter 2. Quine and Naturalism Historicized.- Chapter 3. Quinean Explication of Reality and Naturalistic Philosophy.-Chapter 4. Roth and Historiography Naturalized.- Chapter 5. First Case Study: Lust for Knowing: The Death of Vincent van Gogh.- Chapter 6. Second Case Study: A Brief (Hi)Story of Just-So Stories in Evolutionary Science.- Chapter 7. A Pragmatist Gambit.- Index.
About the author
Michal Hubálek works at the Department of Logic at the Institute of Philosophy of the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, and at the Department of Philosophy and Social Sciences at the University of Hradec Králové. His general interests lie at the intersection of the philosophy of (social) science(s), the philosophy of history/historiography, the philosophy of biology, and pragmatism. His current research focuses on the epistemic role of broadly conceived historical inquiry for our understanding of the sciences, the concept of explanation, and rationality itself. In this regard, he seeks to bridge the gaps among historical, philosophical, and sociological reflections on the sciences.
Summary
This book provides a fresh and ecumenic understanding of naturalism for contemporary philosophers and scientists who, while accepting naturalism as a standard for doing philosophy and science, understand it often very differently. It also demonstrates that to see naturalism in opposition to socio-historical approaches is an unwarranted as well as unwanted scheme for our overall conception of empirical inquiry. By bringing together naturalism and historicism, this book provides a unique perspective on the philosophy of science that is of interest not only to philosophers, but also those interested in the history of science and the sociology of scientific knowledge.
