In his newest work, distinguished philosopher Jude P. Dougherty challenges contemporary empiricisms and other accounts of science that reduce it to description and prediction. Dougherty argues that a philosophy of science is but a part of one's overarching metaphysical outlook, itself painstakingly derived from considerations of nature, law, intelligibility, causality, and inference. This book critically examines several well-known philosophical positions from a time-transcending Aristotelian point of view. It defends an Aristotelian or "realist" interpretation of science, employing the textual Aristotle as commented upon and amplified through the centuries. The book shows that although modernity has offered a significant challenge, only a realist interpretation of science is compatible with the advances made in theoretical physics since the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century. Dougherty discusses the so-called "sciences of man," their starting points, and limitations.
Reviews
"A broad, wide-ranging approach that covers and ably defends a time-transcending Aristotelian understanding of the nature of science. Jude Dougherty's general knowledge of modern philosophy and the Thomistic and Aristotelian tradition is put on display. Specialists will appreciate more subtle points, but there is something on every page for the more general reader as well."-Louis Groarke, associate professor of philosophy, St. Francis Xavier University



Book Information
ISBN 9780813220147
Author Jude P. Dougherty
Format Paperback
Page Count 144
Imprint The Catholic University of America Press
Publisher The Catholic University of America Press
Weight(grams) 198g