One of the most creative philosophers of the 20th century, Rudolf Carnap presented a series of science lectures at the University of California in 1958. The present volume is an outgrowth of that seminar, which dealt with the philosophical foundations of physics. Edited by Martin Gardner from transcripts of Carnap's classroom lectures and discussions, the book remains one of the clearest and soundest introductions to the philosophy of science. Specially designed to appeal to a wide range of readers, An Introduction to thePhilosophy of Science offers accessible coverage of such topics as laws and probability, measurement and quantitative language, the structure of space, causality and determinism, theoretical laws and concepts and much more. Stimulating and thought-provoking, the text will be of interest to philosophers, scientists and anyone interested in logical analysis of the concepts, statements and theories of science. Its clear and readable style help make it "the best book available for the intelligent reader who wants to gain some insight into the nature of contemporary philosophy of science" � Choice. Foreword to the Basic Books Paperback Edition, 1974 (Gardner); Preface (Carnap); Foreword to the Dover Edition (Gardner). 35 black-and-white illustrations. Bibliography.
Rudolf Carnap, a German-born philosopher and naturalized U.S. citizen, was a leading exponent of logical positivism and was one of the major philosophers of the twentieth century. He made significant contributions to philosophy of science, philosophy of language, the theory of probability, inductive logic and modal logic. He rejected metaphysics as meaningless because metaphysical statements cannot be proved or disproved by experience. He asserted that many philosophical problems are indeed pseudo-problems, the outcome of a misuse of language.
Breadth is great and depth just enough. The only downside is a little less historical development, especially from analytical point of view. Loved it anyway.
love this book. it’s incredibly clear and matter of fact. i don’t agree with carnap on much at all, but his theory is the main reason i understand physics now (lol) and also has helped me really understand my own approach to a very different discipline. additionally, i feel like it’s helped me form the first real opinion i’ve ever held in my life. that’s not at all true, but it’s nice to encounter something that makes you feel that way.
It is an excellent books that clarifies a lot of the jargon that is used in science that often times has a different connotation with respect to everyday language. Strongly recommended for people that do not have a background in STEM but not only: it is always good to refresh the assumptions and foundations of the method.
Fantastic book on philosophy of science! It's a book purely on the theory but not on the history of philosophy, many people write "introduction" books just as a history book, because they are not that professional in that field.