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Peter Godfrey-Smith
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Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science Paperback – 1 August 2003

by Peter Godfrey-Smith (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars 256
Edition: 1st
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Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, Second Edition
Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, Second Edition
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How does science work? Does it tell us what the world is "really" like? What makes it different from other ways of understanding the universe? In Theory and Reality, Peter Godfrey-Smith addresses these questions by taking the reader on a grand tour of one hundred years of debate about science. The result is a completely accessible introduction to the main themes of the philosophy of science.

Intended for undergraduates and general readers with no prior background in philosophy, Theory and Reality covers logical positivism; the problems of induction and confirmation; Karl Popper's theory of science; Thomas Kuhn and "scientific revolutions"; the views of Imre Lakatos, Larry Laudan, and Paul Feyerabend; and challenges to the field from sociology of science, feminism, and science studies. The book then looks in more detail at some specific problems and theories, including scientific realism, the theory-ladeness of observation, scientific explanation, and Bayesianism. Finally, Godfrey-Smith defends a form of philosophical naturalism as the best way to solve the main problems in the field.

Throughout the text he points out connections between philosophical debates and wider discussions about science in recent decades, such as the infamous "science wars." Examples and asides engage the beginning student; a glossary of terms explains key concepts; and suggestions for further reading are included at the end of each chapter. However, this is a textbook that doesn't feel like a textbook because it captures the historical drama of changes in how science has been conceived over the last one hundred years.

Like no other text in this field, Theory and Reality combines a survey of recent history of the philosophy of science with current key debates in language that any beginning scholar or critical reader can follow.
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  1. ISBN-10
    0226300633
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0226300634
  3. Edition
    1st
  4. Publisher
    *University of Chicago Press
  5. Publication date
    1 August 2003
  6. Language
    English
  7. Dimensions
    15.24 x 1.52 x 22.86 cm
  8. Print length
    288 pages
  9. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ *University of Chicago Press; 1st edition (1 August 2003)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 288 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0226300633
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0226300634
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 15.24 x 1.52 x 22.86 cm
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 out of 5 stars 256

About the author

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Peter Godfrey-Smith

Peter Godfrey-Smith

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PETER GODFREY-SMITH is a professor in the School of History and Philosophy of Science at the University of Sydney. He is the author of Metazoa and the bestselling Other Minds: The Octopus and the Evolution of Intelligent Life, which was shortlisted for the 2017 Royal Society Science Book Prize and has since been published in more than twenty languages. He is also the author of four other books, including Theory and Reality: An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science and Darwinian Populations and Natural Selection, which won the 2010 Lakatos Award for an outstanding work on the philosophy of science.

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Top reviews from Australia

Chol Nyok
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read before starting on research
Reviewed in Australia on 3 December 2020
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This is book explains philosophy science in an easy to understand manner. Very enjoyable and informative. Recommended to all those who are interested in science theory and how scientific knowledge is synthesise. It will also make a great read to research scientist both beginners and advanced researchers.
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RobMcK
4.0 out of 5 stars Important Eye-opening Reading
Reviewed in Australia on 15 July 2020
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This book was quite an eye-opener for me. Whilst debating climate change with my son he recommended I read it.
My education was pre-1970. Even my Chemical Engineering uni degree (1971) was based on a relatively simplistic and unsophisticated philosophy of science. It tended to assume that science was on an unchallengeable pedestal.
So I found it very interesting that most of the current philosophical ideas in this area are post 1970.
As a result, my view of science (like most people of my era and probably most people generally) was VERY outdated.
I found it well written and easy to read even if I didn't take the time to fully understand the details.
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Placeholder
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent introduction to the domain
Reviewed in India on 16 September 2017
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Excellent introduction to the domain. The book was recommended to me by Professor Edouard Machery of Pittsburg. I am very grateful to him because it has helped immensely with my Masters class.
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Michael George
5.0 out of 5 stars an excellent summary and supplement for introductory philosophy of science
Reviewed in the United States on 7 February 2016
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This book is an extremely good summary, to a large extent in chronological order, of many of the main developments in philosophy of science (over the past hundred years or so), from the point of view of the author, Prof. Godfrey-Smith. The writing is, for the most part clear and understandable, at the level of a high school student or first year college student. Nevertheless, to supplement a study of philosophy of science at a more advanced, but still introductory, level, I think that its clarity and simplicity is helpful. The author's "voice" intrudes, but that is not unhelpful, in my view, because it makes it clear that we are experiencing this summary from a certain viewpoint, if nonetheless well thought out and developed. For its intended audience, i.e. beginners or amateurs at the philosophy of science like myself, it is superb and to be highly recommended. Even so, at that level, I can only recommend it as a summary, and not as some deep philosophical investigation. Even the author makes it clear that there is a substantial intellectual investment and time-cost involved to progress beyond this modest introduction.
4 people found this helpful
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Grégorie Dupuis-McDonald
5.0 out of 5 stars This lovely book gives an excellent survey of the main problems and debates of twentieth ...
Reviewed in Canada on 18 October 2015
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This lovely book gives an excellent survey of the main problems and debates of twentieth century philosophy of science.
Beside explaining how science works and how it relates to reality, it offers alternatives and prospects for the future of philosphy of science.
A very clear, perceptive and stimulating discussion.
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Zuleika
5.0 out of 5 stars One of my all time favourite intros in philosophy.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 April 2016
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I first read this book when it was the set text on an MA philosophy of science module and found it absolutely fascinating. It's still one of my favourite of the set texts that we worked with on the course. What I especially liked about it is how accessible it is to anyone not familiar with philosophy while at the same time not dumbing down any of the issues and I have enthusiastically recommended it to friends who work in science. I'm returning to buy the Kindle version now in order to re-read and refresh my memory. Definitely one of my all time favourite intros in philosophy.
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HonestReview
5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction équilibrée dans un style décomplexé
Reviewed in France on 8 February 2015
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Je commence par le point fort du livre : le style. Il est agréable de lire un auteur qui va droit au but dans ses explications dans un domaine, la philosophie, où il est d'usage de limiter son exposition à la critique en recourant à des formulations exagérément prudentes. J'apprécie également que l'auteur énonce clairement ses positions à plusieurs reprises. Enfin, la petite rubrique bibliographique intitulée "further readings", à la fin de chaque chapitre, s'avère bien utile.

Sur le fond, Godfrey-Smith prend au sérieux son ambition d'écrire une "introduction à la philosophie des sciences" au sens propre. Ce n'est pas pour lui un moyen détourné de refonder les bases de cette discipline ni de proposer sa vision personnelle de la science, à part dans les derniers chapitres. Par conséquent, l'auteur balaie large et ne rentre pas dans les détails. Ce livre ne s'adresse donc pas à des lecteurs déjà familiers avec les thèmes du sommaire. Pour donner un point de comparaison, le livre est cependant bien plus détaillé que ceux de la collection "Que sais-je?".

L'auteur a choisi de traiter trois des grands aspects de la philosophie des sciences :
1) Les processus de construction des connaissances scientifiques par la société, jusqu'à leurs dimensions sociologiques (chapitres 4,5,6,7,8,10,11)
2) Le questionnement du rapport entre théorie et réalité (chapitres 2,12,15)
3) La caractérisation technique des objets de la science (chapitres 2,3,4,13,14)

Je regrette que l'auteur n'ait pas essayé de dissocier davantage ces trois aspects, qui sont bien sûr interconnectés, mais dont l'entrelacement peut créer de la confusion. Manifestement, il a préféré une approche chronologique et a peut-être mal choisi le titre de son livre.

Concernant ses positions, il se présente lui-même comme un partisan du naturalisme (la philosophie ne doit pas tenter de répondre aux questions auxquelles la science pourrait répondre) et du réalisme scientifique (position métaphysique selon laquelle la science permet de se rapprocher petit à petit de la structure fondamentale du réel).

On peut noter à la fin du livre quelques pages de qualité (p. 214 à 217) où il donne son avis sur comment traiter le problème de l'induction de Goodman. Il suggère d'évaluer le bien-fondé d'une généralisation inductive non pas uniquement à partir de la liste des exemplaires observés, mais aussi en fonction de la procédure statistique qui a permis la sélection des exemplaires.
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