The Rise of Scientific Philosophy

· Univ of California Press
電子書
348
符合資格
評分和評論未經驗證  瞭解詳情

關於本電子書

This book represents a new approach to philosophy. It treats philosophy as not a collection of systems, but as a study of problems. It recognizes in traditional philosophical systems the historical function of having asked questions rather than having given solutions. Professor Reichenbach traces the failures of the systems to psychological causes.

Speculative philosophers offered answers at a time when science had not yet provided the means to give true answers. Their search for certainty and for moral directives led them to accept pseudo-solutions. Plato, Descartes, Spinoza, Kant, and many others are cited to illustrate the rationalist fallacy: reason, unaided by observation, was regarded as a source of knowledge, revealing the physical world and "moral truth." The empiricists could not disprove this thesis, for they could not give a valid account of mathematical knowledge.

Mathematical discoveries in the early nineteenth century cleared the way for modern scientific philosophy. Its advance was furthered by discoveries in modern physics, chemistry, biology, and psychology. These findings have made possible a new conception of the universe and of the atom. The work of scientists thus altered philosophy completely and brought into being a philosopher with a new attitude and training.

Instead of dictating so-called laws of reason to the scientist, this modern philosopher proceeds by analyzing scientific methods and results. He finds answers to the age-old questions of space, time, causality, and life; of the human observer and the external world. He tells us how to find our way through this world without resorting to unjustifiable beliefs or assuming a supernatural origin for moral standards. Philosophy thus is no longer a battleground of contradictory opinions, but a science discovering truth step by step.

Professor Reichenbach, known for his many contributions to logic and the philosophy of science, addresses this book to a wider audience. He writes for those who do not have the leisure or preparation to read in the fields of mathematics, symbolic logic, or physics. Besides showing the principal foundations of the new philosophy, he has been careful to provide the necessary factual background. He has written a philosophical study, not a mere popularization. It contains within its chapters all the necessary scientific material in an understandable form—and, therefore, conveys all the information indispensable to a modern world-view.

The late Hans Reichenbach was Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles. His previous books include


This book represents a new approach to philosophy. It treats philosophy as not a collection of systems, but as a study of problems. It recognizes in traditional philosophical systems the historical function of having asked questions rather than having giv

關於作者

The late Hans Reichenbach was Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Los Angeles. His previous books include The Theory of Probability and Philosophic Foundations of Quantum Mechanics (University of California Press); Elements of Symbolic Logic; Experience and Prediction; and Atom and Cosmos.

為這本電子書評分

歡迎提供意見。

閱讀資訊

智慧型手機與平板電腦
只要安裝 Google Play 圖書應用程式 Android 版iPad/iPhone 版,不僅應用程式內容會自動與你的帳戶保持同步,還能讓你隨時隨地上網或離線閱讀。
筆記型電腦和電腦
你可以使用電腦的網路瀏覽器聆聽你在 Google Play 購買的有聲書。
電子書閱讀器與其他裝置
如要在 Kobo 電子閱讀器這類電子書裝置上閱覽書籍,必須將檔案下載並傳輸到該裝置上。請按照說明中心的詳細操作說明,將檔案傳輸到支援的電子閱讀器上。