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102It’s Not About TechnologyKnowledge, Technology & Policy 23 (3): 445-454. 2010.It is argued that the question “Can we trust technology?” is unanswerable because it is open-ended. Only questions about specific issues that can have specific answers should be entertained. It is further argued that the reason the question cannot be answered is that there is no such thing as Technology _simpliciter_. Fundamentally, the question comes down to trusting people and even then, the question has to be specific about trusting a person to do this or that.
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83The dilemma of case studies: Toward a heraclitian philosophy of sciencePerspectives on Science 9 (4): 373-382. 2001.What do appeals to case studies accomplish? Consider the dilemma: On the one hand, if the case is selected because it exemplifies the philosophical point, then it is not clear that the historical data hasn't been manipulated to fit the point. On the other hand, if one starts with a case study, it is not clear where to go from there—for it is unreasonable to generalize from one case or even two or three.
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81The question is how do Scanning Electron Microscopes (SEMs) give us access to the nano world? The images these instruments produce, I argue, do not allow us to see atoms in the same way that we see trees. To the extent that SEMs and STMs allow us to see the occupants of the nano world it is by way of metaphorical extension of the concept of “seeing”. The more general claim is that changes in scientific instrumentation effect changes in the concepts central to our understanding of scientific resu…Read more
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76Galileo, rationality and explanationPhilosophy of Science 55 (1): 87-103. 1988.It is argued that Galileo's theory of justification was a version of explanationism. Galileo's Dialogue on the Two Chief World Systems is to be read as primarily a defense of his theory of the tides. He shows how, by assuming Copernican motions, he can explain the tides, thereby justifying the endorsement of Copernicus. The crux of the argument rests on Galileo's account of explanation, which is novel in its reliance on the use of geometry. Finally, the consequences of his use of geometry, and h…Read more
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62Davis Baird, Thing Knowledge: A Philosophy of Scientific Instruments. Berkeley: University of California Press , 295 pp., $65.00 (review)Philosophy of Science 72 (4): 645-647. 2005.
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55Theories of explanation (edited book)Oxford University Press. 1988.Since the publication of Carl Hempel and Paul Oppenheim's ground-breaking work "Studies in the Logic of Explanation," the theory of explanation has remained a major topic in the philosophy of science. This valuable collection provides readers with the opportunity to study some of the classic essays on the theory of explanation along with the best examples of the most recent work being done on the topic. In addition to the original Hempel and Oppenheim paper, the volume includes Scriven's critica…Read more
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52On the Philosophy of Technology, Past and FutureTechné: Research in Philosophy and Technology 1 (1-2): 18-22. 1995.
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47The myth of science educationStudies in Philosophy and Education 10 (1): 7-17. 1990.It is argued that the manner in which we teach science in the high schools represents an outdated positivistic conception of science. The standard presentation of a year of each of chemistry, biology and physics should be replaced by an integrated science plus history, philosophy, and sociology of science which would take a total of three years to complete. A proper appreciation for the true nature of science is essential to the continued health of the scientific enterprise.
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45Reconsidering the legacy of Thomas kuhn; editor's introductionPerspectives on Science 9 (4): 371-372. 2001.
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44Revolutions in science and refinements in the analysis of causationZeitschrift Für Allgemeine Wissenschaftstheorie 8 (1): 48-62. 1977.Summary A sufficient condition for a revolution in physics is a change in the concept of cause. To demonstrate this, we examine three developments in physical theory. After informally characterizing a theory in terms of an heuristic and a set of equations, we show how tensions between these two dimensions lead to the development of alternative theoretical accounts. In each case the crucial move results in a refinement of our account of cause. All these refinements taken together result in the em…Read more
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44Philosophy of Economics, Wolfgang Balzer and Bert Hamminga . Dordrecht: Kluwer-Nijhoff Publishing, 1989, 270 pages (review)Economics and Philosophy 7 (1): 122-128. 1991.
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43Hume and Peirce on Belief, or, Why Belief Should Not Be Considered an Epistemic CategoryTransactions of the Charles S. Peirce Society 41 (2). 2005.
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41Essays on the Philosophy of Wilfrid Sellars
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37The role of inductive generalizations in Sellars' theory of explanationTheory and Decision 13 (4): 345-356. 1981.
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35Influencing technological changeHuman Affairs 30 (4): 545-548. 2020.The philosophy of technology is not influencing technological change because there isn’t a single philosophy of technology. Philosophers of technology should be involved in technological change because we have something valuable to offer. But before we can get involved, we have to be accepted by those effecting the changes. That means we have to acquire the credentials necessary to establish our credibility. We have to get our hands dirty.
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34Galileo and His Sources: The Heritage of the Collegio Romano in Galileo's SciencePhilosophy of Science 54 (1): 138-140. 1987.
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31Small Talk: Nanotechnology and MetaphorSpontaneous Generations 2 (1): 90. 2008.The general topic I am addressing concerns the epistemological role of the use of metaphor in the philosophy of science. More specifically, I am concerned with the role metaphor plays in scientific and technological change. In the case in point, nanotechnology, I will explore the role of metaphor in changing our conception of the confirmation of the plausibility of theoretical notions. The basic idea is that metaphors either offer or suggest images that are meant to persuade one to change one’s …Read more
Blacksburg, Virginia, United States of America
Areas of Specialization
Epistemology |
General Philosophy of Science |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |
Areas of Interest
Epistemology |
General Philosophy of Science |
17th/18th Century Philosophy |