style="font-size:15px;"> 226
214
227 215
228 216
229 217
230 218
231 219
232 220
233 221
234 222
235 223
236 224
237 225
238 226
239 227
240 228
241 229
242 230
243 231
244 232
245 233
246 234
247 235
248 236
249 237
250 238
251 239
252 240
253 241
254 242
255 243
256 244
257 245
258 246
259 247
260 248
261 249
262 250
263 251
264 252
265 253
266 254
267 255
268 256
269 257
270 258
271 259
272 260
273 261
274 262
275 263
276 264
277 265
278 266
279 267
280 268
281 269
282 270
283 271
284 272
285 273
286 274
287 275
288 276
289 277
290 278
291 279
292 280
293 281
294 282
295 283
296 284
297 285
298 286
299 287
300 288
301 289
302 290
303 291
PREFACE
More in need of philosophy are the sciences where perplexities are greater.
— Carlo Rovelli, Codeveloper of loop quantum gravity
You are an unusual student. We’ d be surprised if 1% of STEM majors (or even most philosophy majors) take a course in the philosophy of science. And this is an unusual book in three ways which we hope will provide a readable college text.
First, most philosophy of science texts are written for philosophy majors. While this book will provide them with a solid foundation, our goal is to provide STEM majors with a relevant book. But why would they seek such a text?
Imagine that there is an opera singer who hits every note, but she has no understanding of the composition. Is she truly a musician or just a performer? In German, a Musiker has a deep understanding of music, while a Musikant merely plays music. Understanding the philosophy of science is necessary to become a scientifiker rather than a scientifikant (these terms don’t really exist but you get the idea).
Second, the coauthors are an odd couple. FPG is an immigrant and first-generation college student whose educational path led him to teach philosophy to hundreds of students. JAL was a faculty member in entomology for nearly 20 years before joining the philosophy department. As such, the authors have been there, with “there” being a classroom where you wonder if you belong and an academic setting where you are an outsider.
This text would’ve been easier to write alone, without the philosopher nitpicking the scientist’s versions of concepts or the scientist revising the philosopher’s accounts of empirical
