The Foundations Of Scientific Inference: 50th Anniversary Edition

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E-Book Overview

After its publication in 1967, The Foundations of Scientific Inference taught a generation of students and researchers about the problem of induction, the interpretation of probability, and confirmation theory. Fifty years later, Wesley C. Salmon's book remains one of the clearest introductions to these fundamental problems in the philosophy of science. With The Foundations of Scientific Inference, Salmon presented a coherent vision of the nature of scientific reasoning, explored the philosophical underpinnings of scientific investigation, and introduced readers to key movements in epistemology and to leading philosophers of the twentieth century—such as Karl Popper, Rudolf Carnap, and Hans Reichenbach—offering a critical assessment and developing his own distinctive views on topics that are still of central importance today. This anniversary edition of Salmon's foundational work in the philosophy of science features a detailed introduction by Christopher Hitchcock, which examines the book's origins, influences, and major themes, its impact and enduring effects, the disputes it raised, and its place in current studies, revisiting Salmon's ideas for a new audience of philosophers, historians, scientists, and students.

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E-Book Information

• Year: 2,017

• Pages: 198

• Pages In File: 198

• Language: English

• Topic: 178

• Identifier: 0822964562, 9780822964568

• Org File Size: 49,132,833

• Extension: pdf

• Tags: Scientific Inference

• Toc: Contents......Page 10Introductory Essay, by Christopher Hitchcock......Page 12Introduction......Page 42I. The Problem with Induction......Page 46II. Attempted Solutions......Page 52III. Significance of the Problem......Page 95IV. The Philosophical Problem of Probability......Page 97V. Interpretations of Probability......Page 106VI. Inferring Relative Frequencies......Page 137VII. The Confirmation of Scientific Hypotheses......Page 149Conclusion......Page 172Notes......Page 173Addendum......Page 183Index......Page 186