Explanations by John Cornwell

Explanations by John Cornwell

Regular price
Checking stock...
Regular price
Checking stock...
Summary

Scientists often talk about the search for meaning, and about explanations that can make sense of the universe. But what do we mean by this, and what information do thse explanations give us? In Explanations, eminent philosophers and scientists from a wide variety of backgrounds address this problem, to provoke and inspire reflection on how and why we explain things the way we do.

The feel-good place to buy books
  • Free US shipping over $15
  • Buying preloved emits 41% less CO2 than new
  • Millions of affordable books
  • Give your books a new home - sell them back to us!

Explanations by John Cornwell

Our lives, states of health, relationships, behaviour, experiences of the natural world, and the technologies that shape our contemporary existence are subject to a superfluity of competing, multi-faceted and sometimes incompatible explanations. Widespread confusion about the nature of 'explanation' and its scope and limits pervades popular exposition of the natural sciences, popular history and philosophy of science. This fascinating and intriguing book explores the way explanations work, why they vary between disciplines, periods, and cultures, and whether they have any necessary boundaries. In other words, Explanations aims to achieve a better understanding of explanation, both within the sciences and the humanities. It features contributions from expert writers from a wide range of disciplines, including science, philosophy, mathematics, and social anthropology.
I recommend this book to all readers interested in philosophy and sociology of science* Andrzej Stasiak, EMBO Reports *
John Cornwell is an author and journalist, and Director of the Science and Human Dimension Project at Jesus College, Cambridge. He is the editor of two previous collections, also published by OUP: Nature's Imagination (1994) and Consciousness and Human Identity (1998).
SKU Unavailable
ISBN 13 9780198607786
ISBN 10 0198607784
Title Explanations
Author John Cornwell
Condition Unavailable
Binding Type Hardback
Publisher Oxford University Press
Year published 2004-04-22
Number of pages 266
Cover note Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.