THE PHILOSHOPHY OF SCIENCE

Philosophy of science emerged as a recognizable sub-discipline within philosophy only in the twentieth century. The possibility of such a discipline is a result of the post-Enlightenment disciplinary and institutional separation of philosophy from the sciences. Before that separation, philosophical reflection formed part of scientific research—as indeed it must—and philosophy was usually guided by a sound knowledge of science, a practice that gradually lost currency after the separation. In the nineteenth century, philosophical reflection on science resulted in a tradition of natural philosophy, particularly in Britain (with the work of Mill, Pearson, Whewell, and others), but also in continental Europe, especially in Austria (with Bolzano, Mach, and others). What is called philosophy of science today has its roots in both the British and the Austrian traditions, although with many other influences, as several entries in this Encyclopedia record (see, for instance, Duhem Thesis; Poincare, Henri).

This Encyclopedia is intended to cover contemporary philosophy of science. It has been restricted to conceptual developments since the turn of the twentieth century. Its treatment of major figures in the field is restricted to philosophers (excluding scientists, no matter what the extent of their philosophical influence has been) and, with very few exceptions (notably Chomsky, Noam; Putnam, Hilary; and Searle, John), to those whose work is distant enough to allow ‘‘historical’’ appraisal. Conceptual issues in the general philosophy of science (including its epistemology and metaphysics) as well as in the special sciences are included; those in mathematics have been left for a different work. This introduction will provide a guided tour of these conceptual issues; individual figures will only be mentioned in passing.