GENERALPREFACE
DovGabbay,PaulThagard,andJohnWoods
Wheneverscienceoperatesatthecuttingedgeofwhatisknown,itinvariably
runsintophilosophicalissuesaboutthenatureofknowledgeandreality.Scientific
controversiesraisesuchquestionsastherelationoftheoryandexperiment,the
natureofexplanation,andtheextenttowhichsciencecanapproximatetothe
truth. Withinparticularsciences,specialconcernsariseaboutwhatexistsand
howitcanbeknown,forexampleinphysicsaboutthenatureofspaceandtime,
andinpsychologyaboutthenatureofconsciousness. Hencethephilosophyof
scienceisanessentialpartofthescientificinvestigationoftheworld.
Inrecentdecades,philosophyofsciencehasbecomeanincreasinglycentral
partofphilosophyingeneral. Althoughtherearestillphilosopherswhothink
thattheoriesofknowledgeandrealitycanbedevelopedbypurereflection,much
currentphilosophicalworkfindsitnecessaryandvaluabletotakeintoaccount
relevantscientificfindings. Forexample,thephilosophyofmindisnowclosely
tiedtoempiricalpsychology,andpoliticaltheoryoftenintersectswitheconomics.
Thusphilosophyofscienceprovidesavaluablebridgebetweenphilosophicaland
scientificinquiry.
Moreandmore,thephilosophyofscienceconcernsitselfnotjustwithgeneral
issuesaboutthenatureandvalidityofscience,butespeciallywithparticularissues
thatariseinspecificsciences.Accordingly,wehaveorganizedthisHandbookinto
manyvolumesreflectingthefullrangeofcurrentresearchinthephilosophyof
science.Weinvitedvolumeeditorswhoarefullyinvolvedinthespecificsciences,
andaredelightedthattheyhavesolicitedcontributionsbyscientifically-informed
philosophersand(inafewcases)philosophically-informedscientists. Theresult
isthemostcomprehensiverevieweverprovidedofthephilosophyofscience.
HerearethevolumesintheHandbook:
PhilosophyofScience:FocalIssues,editedbyTheoKuipers.PhilosophyofPhysics,editedbyJohnEarmanandJeremyButterfield.PhilosophyofBiology,editedbyMohanMatthenandChristopherStephens.PhilosophyofMathematics,editedbyAndrewIrvine.PhilosophyofLogic,editedbyDaleJacquette.PhilosophyofChemistryandPharmacology,editedbyAndreaWoodyand
RobinHendry.