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Markus Seidel provides a detailed critique of epistemic relativism in the sociology of scientific knowledge. In addition to scrutinizing the main arguments for epistemic relativism he provides an absolutist account that nevertheless aims at integrating the relativist's intuition.
This book consists of research papers that cover the scientific areas of the International Workshop on Operator Theory, Operator Algebras and Applications, held in Lisbon in September 2012. The volume particularly focuses on (i) operator theory and harmonic analysis (singular integral operators with shifts; pseudodifferential operators, factorization of almost periodic matrix functions; inequalities; Cauchy type integrals; maximal and singular operators on generalized Orlicz-Morrey spaces; the Riesz potential operator; modification of Hadamard fractional integro-differentiation), (ii) operator algebras (invertibility in groupoid C*-algebras; inner endomorphisms of some semi group, crossed products; C*-algebras generated by mappings which have finite orbits; Folner sequences in operator algebras; arithmetic aspect of C*_r SL(2); C*-algebras of singular integral operators; algebras of operator sequences) and (iii) mathematical physics (operator approach to diffraction from polygonal-conical screens; Poisson geometry of difference Lax operators).
Debating Contemporary Approaches to the History of Science explores the main themes, problems and challenges currently at the top of the discipline's methodological agenda. In its chapters, established and emerging scholars introduce and discuss new approaches to the history of science and revisit older perspectives which remain crucial. Each chapter is followed by a critical commentary from another scholar in the field and the author's response. The volume looks at such topics as the importance of the 'global', 'digital', 'environmental', and 'posthumanist' turns for the history of science, and the possibilities for the field of moving beyond a focus on ideas and texts towards active engage...
What does it mean to be an expert? What sort of authority do experts really have? And what role should they play in today's society? Addressing why ever larger segments of society are skeptical of what experts say, Expertise: A Philosophical Introduction reviews contemporary philosophical debates and introduces what an account of expertise needs to accomplish in order to be believed. Drawing on research from philosophers and sociologists, chapters explore widely held accounts of expertise and uncover their limitations, outlining a set of conceptual criteria a successful account of expertise should meet. By providing suggestions for how a philosophy of expertise can inform practical disciplines such as politics, religion, and applied ethics, this timely introduction to a topic of pressing importance reveals what philosophical thinking about expertise can contribute to growing concerns about experts in the 21st century.
Provides students and scholars with a comprehensive introduction to the growing field of environmental philosophy and ethics Mitigating the effects of climate change will require global cooperation and lasting commitment. Of the many disciplines addressing the ecological crisis, philosophy is perhaps best suited to develop the conceptual foundations of a viable and sustainable environmental ethic. This is Environmental Ethics provides an expansive overview of the key theories underpinning contemporary discussions of our moral responsibilities to non-human nature and living creatures. Adopting a critical approach, author Wendy Lynne Lee closely examines major moral theories to discern which e...
Richard Swinburne is one of the most influential contemporary proponents of the analytical philosophy of religion. He is, above all, a traditional theist, i.e. he believes, that there exists an eternal, uncreated and immaterial perfect soul called “God” which is omnipotent, omniscient, perfectly free, morally perfect and the creator and sustainer of the universe. However, his interests are very wide-ranging. He has written on almost every central theological and philosophical issue such as epistemology, metaphysics, theory of mind and ethics. Swinburne is particularly well-known for his perceptive defence of, some would say “time-honoured”, others may prefer “old-fashioned”, philosophical doctrines. During the “Münstersche Vorlesungen 2007” students and faculty members from Münster entered into a skilful and interesting discussion concerning most of Swinburne’s positions.
This book presents an original discussion and analysis of epistemic peer disagreement. It reviews a wide range of cases from the literature, and extends the definition of epistemic peerhood with respect to the current one, to account for the actual variability found in real-world examples. The book offers a number of arguments supporting the variability in the nature and in the range of disagreements, and outlines the main benefits of disagreement among peers i.e. what the author calls the benefits to inquiry argument.
This highly readable book is a collection of critical papers on Otto Neurath (1882-1945). It comprehensively re-examines Neurath’s scientific, philosophical and educational contributions from a range of standpoints including historical, sociological and problem-oriented perspectives. Leading Neurath scholars disentangle and connect Neurath’s works, ideas and ideals and evaluate them both in their original socio-historical context and in contemporary philosophical debates. Readers will discover a new critical understanding. Drawing on archive materials, essays discuss not only Neurath’s better-known works from lesser-known perspectives, but also his lesser-known works from the better-kn...
In The Struggle for Development and Democracy Alessandro Olsaretti argues that we need significantly new theories of development and democracy to answer the problem posed by neoliberalism and the populist backlash, namely, uneven development and divisive politics heightened by the 9/11 attacks. This volume proposes a general theory of development and democracy, as part of a unified theory of power, emphasizing that development needs markets, civil society, and the state, and also the proper networks and interactions amongst markets, civil society, and the state. Imperialism undermines these interactions, and turns countries into providers of cheap land or labour. This book begins to sketch the mechanisms at work, and to answer one question: how did imperialist elites build their power? All royalties from sales of this volume will go to GiveWell.org in honour of Alessandro Olsaretti's memory.
Proceedings of the International School of Subnuclear Physics, ISSP 2014, 52nd Course, ERICE, Erice, 24 June - 3 July 2014.