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52Rationality and Relativism Martin Hollis and Steven Lukes, editors Oxford: Blackwell, 1982. Pp. 312. $34.25, cloth; $18.25, paper (review)Dialogue 22 (2): 369-371. 1983.
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133Counter Thought ExperimentsRoyal Institute of Philosophy Supplement 61 155-177. 2007.Let's begin with an old example. In De Rerum Naturua , Lucretius presented a thought experiment to show that space is infinite. We imagine ourselves near the alleged edge of space; we throw a spear; we see it either sail through the ‘edge’ or we see it bounce back. In the former case the ‘edge’ isn't the edge, after all. In the latter case, there must be something beyond the ‘edge’ that repelled the spear. Either way, the ‘edge’ isn't really an edge of space, after all. So space is infinite
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11Book Review:Science and Convention Jerzy Giedymin (review)Philosophy of Science 52 (1): 168-. 1985.
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6Why Thought Experiments Transcend ExperienceIn Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Science, Blackwell. pp. 23-43. 2004.
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80Money, Method and Medical ResearchEpisteme 1 (1): 49-59. 2004.It's sometimes useful to start with a quiz, even if it seems irrelevant to the issues at hand. Suppose you have to organize a tennis tournament with, say, 1025 players. Match winners will go on to the next round while losers bow out until all have been eliminated except, of course, the final champion. Your problem is this: How many matches must you book for this tournament?
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Why Empiricism Won't WorkIn C. Hitchcock (ed.), Contemporary Debates in Philosophy of Science, . 2004.A defence of a priori knowledge of nature via thought experiments. The article is part of a pair, the counter-view argued by John Norton.
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23Boundaries, Reasons, and Ideology: Reply to SismondoEpisteme 1 (3): 249-255. 2005.Sergio Sismondo's “Boundary Work and the Science Wars” nicely exemplifies a hotly debated central issue. One side, let me call them the rationalists, tries to explain episodes in the history of science in terms of reason. They claim that scientists, past and present, believe what they do because of the evidence that they have at the time. The other side, following Sismondo, let me call them STSers , claim that social and other non-cognitive factors are the frequent causes of belief. This disagre…Read more
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105Politics, method, and medical researchPhilosophy of Science 75 (5): 756-766. 2008.There is sufficient evidence that intellectual property rights are corrupting medical research. One could respond to this from a moral or from an epistemic point of view. I take the latter route. Often in the sciences factual discoveries lead to new methodological norms. Medical research is an example. Surprisingly, the methodological change required will involve political change. Instead of new regulations aimed at controlling the problem, the outright socialization of research seems called for…Read more
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15Introduction to the special issue on rationalityInternational Studies in the Philosophy of Science 13 (3): 213. 1999.No abstract
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129Thought experiments since the scientific revolutionInternational Studies in the Philosophy of Science 1 (1). 1986.No abstract
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31Proof and truth in Lakatos's masterpieceInternational Studies in the Philosophy of Science 4 (2). 1990.Abstract Proofs and Refutations is Lakatos's masterpiece. This article investigates some of its central themes, in particular: the nature of proofs ('Proofs do not prove, they improve'); the nature of definitions (real, not nominal); and the consequences of all this for ontology (platonism vs Popper's World Three)
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99Funding, objectivity and the socialization of medical researchScience and Engineering Ethics 8 (3): 295--308. 2002.There has been a sharp rise in private funding of medical research, especially in relation to patentable products. Several serious problems with this are described. A solution involving the elimination of patents and public funding administered through extended national health care systems is proposed.
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75Review of Alexander Bird's book Thomas Kuhn (review)British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 53 (1): 143-149. 2002.
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226Proofs and picturesBritish Journal for the Philosophy of Science 48 (2): 161-180. 1997.Everyone appreciates a clever mathematical picture, but the prevailing attitude is one of scepticism: diagrams, illustrations, and pictures prove nothing; they are psychologically important and heuristically useful, but only a traditional verbal/symbolic proof provides genuine evidence for a purported theorem. Like some other recent writers (Barwise and Etchemendy [1991]; Shin [1994]; and Giaquinto [1994]) I take a different view and argue, from historical considerations and some striking exampl…Read more
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2EditorialInternational Studies in the Philosophy of Science 15 (2). 2001.This Article does not have an abstract
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160Peeking into Plato’s HeavenPhilosophy of Science 71 (5): 1126-1138. 2004.Examples of classic thought experiments are presented and some morals drawn. The views of my fellow symposiasts, Tamar Gendler, John Norton, and James McAllister, are evaluated. An account of thought experiments along a priori and Platonistic lines is given. I also cite the related example of proving theorems in mathematics with pictures and diagrams. To illustrate the power of these methods, a possible refutation of the continuum hypothesis using a thought experiment is sketched.
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54Science in a Free Society by Paul Feyerabend; New Left Books; London, 1978; Pp. 221Dialogue 20 (1): 169-171. 1981.
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14Philosophy of Science: The Key Thinkers (edited book)Continuum Books. 2012.From the 19th century the philosophy of science has been shaped by a group of influential figures. Who were they? Why do they matter? This introduction brings to life the most influential thinkers in the philosophy of science, uncovering how the field has developed over the last 200 years. Taking up the subject from the time when some philosophers began to think of themselves not just as philosophers but as philosophers of science, a team of leading contemporary philosophers explain, criticize a…Read more
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67Vladimir tasic. Mathematics and the roots of postmodern thoughtPhilosophia Mathematica 11 (2): 244-245. 2003.
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39Einstein's brand of verificationismInternational Studies in the Philosophy of Science 2 (1). 1987.(1987). Einstein's brand of verificationism. International Studies in the Philosophy of Science: Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 33-54. doi: 10.1080/02698598708573301
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2The Shaky Game: Einstein, Realism, and the Quantum TheoryArthur Fine Chicaco, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1986. Pp. xi, 186. $25.00 (review)Dialogue 26 (4): 776-779. 1987.
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21Review of A. George and D. J. Velleman, Philosophies of Mathematics (review)Mind 111 (444): 860-862. 2002.
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100In his long-awaited new edition of Philosophy of Mathematics, James Robert Brown tackles important new as well as enduring questions in the mathematical sciences. Can pictures go beyond being merely suggestive and actually prove anything? Are mathematical results certain? Are experiments of any real value?" "This clear and engaging book takes a unique approach, encompassing nonstandard topics such as the role of visual reasoning, the importance of notation, and the place of computers in mathemat…Read more
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1Thought Experiments in Science, Philosophy, and the Arts (edited book)Routledge. 2012.From Lucretius throwing a spear beyond the boundary of the universe to Einstein racing against a beam of light, thought experiments stand as a fascinating challenge to the necessity of data in the empirical sciences. Are these experiments, conducted uniquely in our imagination, simply rhetorical devices or communication tools or are they an essential part of scientific practice? This volume surveys the current state of the debate and explores new avenues of research into the epistemology of thou…Read more
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University of Toronto, St. George CampusDepartment of Philosophy
Institute for the History and Philosophy of ScienceRetired faculty
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Areas of Specialization
Science, Logic, and Mathematics |