Structures in Science

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xv

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2. Units of Scientific Knowledge and Knowledge Acquisition

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-4

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   2. Research Programs and Research Strategies

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 5-35

   3. Observational Laws and Proper Theories

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 37-69

3. Patterns of Explanation and Description

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 71-73

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   2. Explanation and Reduction of Laws

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 75-96

   3. Explanation and Description by Specification

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 97-130

4. Structures in Interlevel and Interfield Research

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 131-134

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   2. Reduction and Correlation of Concepts

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 135-158

   3. Levels, Styles, and Mind-Body Research

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 159-196

5. Confirmation and Empirical Progress

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 197-199

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   2. Testing and Further Separate Evaluation of Theories

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 201-228

   3. Empirical Progress and Pseudoscience

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 229-250

6. Truth, Product, and Concept Approximation

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 251-254

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   2. Progress in Nomological, Explicative and Design Research

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 255-264

   3. Design Research Programs

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 265-284

7. Capita Selecta

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 285-288

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   2. Computational Philosophy of Science

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 289-315

   3. The Structuralist Aproach to Theories

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 317-341

   4. ‘Default-Norms’ in Research Ethics

      • Theo A. F. Kuipers

      Pages 343-356

Although there is an abundance of highly specialized monographs, learned collections and general introductions to the philosophy of science, only a few 25 years. synthetic monographs and advanced textbooks have appeared in the last The philosophy of science seems to have lost its self-confidence. The main reason for such a loss is that the traditional analytical, logical-empiricist approaches to the philosophy of science had to make a number of concessions, especially in response to the work of Popper, Kuhn and Lakatos. With Structures in Science I intend to present both a synthetic mono graph and an advanced textbook that accommodates and integrates the insight of these philosophers, in what I like to call a neo-classical approach. The resulting monograph elaborates several important topics from one or more perspectives, by distinguishing various kinds of research programs, and various ways of explaining and reducing laws and concepts, and by summarizing an integrated explication (presented in From Instrumentalism to Constructive Realism, ICR) of the notions of confirmation, empirical progress and truth approximation.

• ethics
• philosophy
• philosophy of science
• reduction
• science
• search strategy

• University of Groningen, The Netherlands

  Theo A. F. Kuipers

Professor Theo Kuipers is the author of From Instrumentalism to Constructive Realism (Synthese Library 287, 2000). He is the leader of the Groningen Research Group `Cognitive Structures in Knowledge and Knowledge Development', which gained the highest possible scores in two successive assessments of Dutch philosophical research by international committees.

Policies and ethics