Author Description
Our Lives, States Of Health, Relationships, Behaviour, Experiences Of The Natural World, And The Technologies That Shape Our Contemporary Existence Are Subject To A Superfluity Of Competing, Multi-faceted And Sometimes Incompatible Explanations. Widespread Confusion About The Nature Of 'explanation' And Its Scope And Limits Pervades Popular Exposition Of The Natural Sciences, Popular History And Philosophy Of Science. This Fascinating And Intriguing Book Explores The Way Explanations Work, Why They Vary Between Disciplines, Periods, And Cultures, And Whether They Have Any Necessary Boundaries. In Other Words, Explanations Aims To Achieve A Better Understanding Of Explanation, Both Within The Sciences And The Humanities. It Features Contributions From Expert Writers From A Wide Range Of Disciplines, Including Science, Philosophy, Mathematics, And Social Anthropology.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the nature, scope, and limitations of explanations across diverse academic disciplines and cultural contexts. Editor John Cornwell compiles a series of essays from experts in science, mathematics, philosophy, and social anthropology to address the confusion surrounding how we define and validate explanations in contemporary society. The work seeks to bridge the gap between the sciences and the humanities by analyzing why explanatory frameworks vary so significantly across different periods and fields of study.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Comparative analysis of explanatory models in science versus the humanities
- Interdisciplinary perspectives on the philosophy of science
- Examination of how cultural and historical contexts influence explanatory validity
Scope Limits
- Does not provide a single, unified theory of explanation
- Does not focus on a specific scientific discipline but rather the meta-analysis of explanatory structures
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose and the breadth of the contributors' expertise. Experts highlight this as a useful collection for those interested in the philosophy of science and the methodology of intellectual inquiry.
Page Count:
256
Publication Date:
2004-01-01
Publisher:
Oup Oxford
ISBN-10:
0191547336
ISBN-13:
9780191547331
Philosophy
Non-Fiction
Science
Epistemology
Science History
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