•  448
    Philosophy of Science: The Central Issues (edited book)
    with Jan A. Cover
    Norton. 1998.
    Contents Preface General Introduction 1 | Science and Pseudoscience Introduction Karl Popper, Science: Conjectures and Refutations Thomas S. Kuhn, Logic of Discovery or Psychology of Research? Imre Lakatos, Science and Pseudoscience Paul R. Thagard, Why Astrology Is a Pseudoscience Michael Ruse, Creation-Science Is Not Science Larry Laudan, Commentary: Science at the Bar---Causes for Concern Commentary 2 | Rationality, Objectivity, and Values in Science Introduction Thomas S. Kuhn, The Nature an…Read more
  •  79
    This indispensable reference source and guide to the major themes, debates, problems and topics in philosophy of science contains fifty-five specially commissioned entries by a leading team of international contributors. Organized into four parts it covers: historical and philosophical context debates concepts the individual sciences. The _Companion_ covers everything students of philosophy of science need to know - from empiricism, explanation and experiment to causation, observation, predictio…Read more
  •  39
    Between Orthodoxy and the Enlightenment (review)
    Review of Metaphysics 39 (2): 360-361. 1985.
    This is an excellent book on a limited topic, displaying meticulous scholarship in its use of primary sources and shrewd judgment in its interpretation of facts. It makes a small but valuable contribution to our understanding of the relationships between Calvinist theology, Cartesian philosophy and the "new science"' in the 17th century, and the mechanisms by which science became an established part of Enlightenment society and education.
  •  38
    Some Inconclusive Reasons Against ‘Conclusive Reasons’
    Philosophy Research Archives 9 293-302. 1983.
    In, “Some Conclusive Reasons Against ‘Conclusive Reasons’”, Pappas and Swain have criticized Dretske’s theory that conclusive reasons are necessary for knowledge. In their view this condition is too strong. They attempt to show this by means of two purported counterexamples: the cup-hologram case and the generator case. This paper defends Dretske’s analysis against these challenges.
  •  36
    Freedom From Necessity (review)
    Review of Metaphysics 42 (3): 608-610. 1989.
  •  27
    Morality and Moral Theory (review)
    Review of Metaphysics 46 (4): 856-857. 1993.
    The book is divided into two parts. Each part is about eighty pages, followed by nearly fifty pages of notes and a comprehensive bibliography. Morality is reappraised in Part 1 and reaffirmed in Part 2. The aim of Part 1 is to articulate a conception of morality and moral theory that combines elements from act-based and virtue-based approaches, with the latter taking the lead. Part 2 defends moral theory against the criticisms of "antitheorists," a diverse group that includes Annette Baier, Stan…Read more
  •  25
    The Rationality of the Copernican Revolution
    PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association 1982. 1982.
    The claim that even in 1543 the Copernican theory was objectively superior to the Ptolemaic theory is explained and defended. The question is then raised concerning the relevance of this insight for our understanding of the rationality of the Copernican revolution. It is proposed that (a) the decision to reject the Ptolemaic theory first became clearly rational early in the 17th century as a result of Galileo's observations of the phases of Venus, and (b) the decision to accept the Copernican th…Read more
  •  13
    The Cambridge Companion to Galileo (review)
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 37 (2): 364-366. 1999.
    In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:The Cambridge Companion to Galileo ed. by Peter MachamerMartin CurdPeter Machamer, editor. The Cambridge Companion to Galileo. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Pp xii + 462. Cloth, $59.95. Paper, $19.95.The contributions fall into three main areas: Galileo’s work on mechanics, his defense of Copernicus, and his relationship with the church. The relative number of pages devoted to these topics is unusual: the r…Read more
  •  11
    The Philosophy of Physics (review) (review)
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 38 (4): 602-603. 2000.
    In lieu of an abstract, here is a brief excerpt of the content:Reviewed by:The Philosophy of PhysicsMartin CurdRoberto Torretti. The Philosophy of Physics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Pp. xvi + 512. Cloth, $64.95. Paper, $23.95.This is the first volume in a new Cambridge series, "The Evolution of Modern Philosophy." It is a historical work, tracing the interaction between physics and philosophy from the scientific revolution of the seventeenth century through general relativity …Read more
  •  7
  •  7
    Showing and telling: Can the difference between right and left be explained in words?
    In James Van~Cleve & Robert E. Frederick (eds.), The Philosophy of Right and Left, Kluwer Academic Publishers. pp. 195--201. 1991.
  •  6
    Some Inconclusive Reasons Against ‘Conclusive Reasons’
    Philosophy Research Archives 9 293-302. 1983.
    In, “Some Conclusive Reasons Against ‘Conclusive Reasons’”, Pappas and Swain have criticized Dretske’s theory that conclusive reasons are necessary for knowledge. In their view this condition is too strong. They attempt to show this by means of two purported counterexamples: the cup-hologram case and the generator case. This paper defends Dretske’s analysis against these challenges.
  •  5
  •  2
    Freedom From Necessity: The Metaphysical Basis of Responsibility (review)
    Review of Metaphysics 42 (3): 608-609. 1989.
    The aim of this book is to defend compatibilism against incompatibilism by exploring the metaphysical issues that lie at the heart of the debate between them. Berofsky defines incompatibilism as the doctrine that an agent is morally responsible for an action only if that particular action is not determined. Thus, regardless of the truth of determinism, that is, regardless of whether or not all events and actions are determined, the key question is: Can an agent be morally responsible for an acti…Read more
  •  1
    This indispensable reference source and guide to the major themes, debates, problems and topics in philosophy of science contains fifty-five specially commissioned entries by a leading team of international contributors. Organized into four parts it covers: historical and philosophical context debates concepts the individual sciences. The _Companion_ covers everything students of philosophy of science need to know - from empiricism, explanation and experiment to causation, observation, predictio…Read more
  • Some philosophers have argued that miracles cannot occur because it is impossible for an event to violate a law of nature. This paper examines three attempts (by W.L. Rowe, N. Smart, and R. Swinburne) to refute this argument. It concludes that none of them is successful if one wants to use the law-violating character of alleged miracles as evidence for God’s existence and nature
  • Measurement
    In Stathis Psillos & Martin Curd (eds.), The Routledge Companion to Philosophy of Ccience, . 2010.
  • Book reviews (review)
    Journal of the History of Philosophy 37 (2): 364. 1999.