British Society for the Philosophy of Science

Vera Hoffmann-Kolss reviews Alternative Approaches to Causation, edited by Yafeng Shan

Vera Hoffmann-Kolss

Yafeng Shan

 ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO CAUSATION

Reviewed by Vera Hoffmann-Kolss Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Alternative Approaches to Causation Yafeng Shan

 Reviewed by Vera Hoffmann-Kolss


 Alternative Approaches to Causation: Beyond Difference-Making and Mechanism


 ◳

Yafeng Shan (

 ed

.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024, £80.00 ISBN

Yafeng Shan, Alternative Approaches to Causation

Joshua Habgood-Coote reviews Philosophy, Bullshit, and Peer Review, by Neil Levy

Joshua Habgood-Coote

Neil Levy

 PHILOSOPHY, BULLSHIT, AND PEER REVIEW

Reviewed by Joshua Habgood-Coote Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Philosophy, Bullshit, and Peer Review Neil Levy

 Reviewed by Joshua Habgood-Coote


 Philosophy, Bullshit, and Peer Review


 ◳

Neil Levy Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023, £17.00 ISBN 9781009256308 Cite as: Habgood-Coote, J. [2025]: ‘

Neil Levy,  Philosophy, Bullshit, and Peer Review

Sebastian De Haro reviews Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity, by James Read

Sebastian De Haro

James Read

 BACKGROUND INDEPENDENCE IN CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM GRAVITY

Reviewed by Sebastian De Haro Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity James Read

 Reviewed by Sebastian De Haro


 Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity


 ◳

James Read Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, £70.00 ISBN

James Read, Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity

Irina Mikhalevich reviews How to Study Animal Minds, by Kristin Andrews

Irina Mikhalevich

Next Home Previous How to Study Animal Minds Kristin Andrews Reviewed by Irina Mikhalevich

 How to Study Animal Minds

Kristin Andrews Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020, £15.00 ISBN 9781108727464 This volume is an embedded philosopher’s field guide to comparative psychology and it attempts to navigate the conceptual and methodological challenges facing the study of animal minds.

Kristin Andrews, How to Study Animal Minds

Jordi Cat reviews Understanding Perspectivism: Scientific Challenges and Methodological Prospects, edited by Michela Massimi and Casey D. McCoy

Jordi Cat

Next Home Previous Understanding Perspectivism Michela Massimi and Casey D McCoy Reviewed by Jordi Cat

 Understanding Perspectivism: Scientific Challenges and Methodological Prospects

Michela Massimi and Casey D McCoy (

 eds

) London: Routledge, 2019, £120.00 / Open Access ISBN 9781138503069

 In memory of Ron Giere

This volume, edited by Michela Massimi and Casey D. McCoy, consists of ten essays whose goal,

Massimi &#038; McCoy, Understanding Perspectivism

Tim Lewens reviews Why Human Nature Matters, by Matteo Mameli, and The Quest for Human Nature, by  Marco J Nathan

Tim Lewens

Matteo Mameli

 WHY HUMAN NATURE MATTERS

and Marco J Nathan

 THE QUEST FOR HUMAN NATURE

Reviewed by Tim Lewens Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Why Human Nature Matters Matteo Mameli and The Quest for Human Nature Marco J Nathan

 Reviewed by Tim Lewens


 Why Human Nature Matters: Between Biology and Politics


 ◳

Matteo Mameli London:

Matteo Mameli, Why Human Nature Matters // Marco J Nathan, The Quest for Human Nature

Uljana Feest reviews Split and Splice: A Phenomenology of Experimentation, by Hans-Jörg Rheinberger

Uljana Feest

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger

 SPLIT AND SPLICE

Reviewed by Uljana Feest Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Split and Splice Hans-Jörg Rheinberger

 Reviewed by Uljana Feest


 Split and Splice: A Phenomenology of Experimentation


 ◳

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2023, £?? ISBN 9780226825304 / 9780226825328 Cite as: Feest, U. [2024]:

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, Split and Splice

Richard Pettigrew reviews Right Belief and True Belief, by Daniel J Singer

Richard Pettigrew

Daniel J Singer

 RIGHT BELIEF AND TRUE BELIEF

Reviewed by Richard Pettigrew Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Right Belief and True Belief Daniel J Singer

 Reviewed by Richard Pettigrew


 Right Belief and True Belief


 ◳

Daniel J Singer Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, £54.00 ISBN 9780197660386 Cite as: Pettigrew, R. [2024]: ‘Daniel J Singer’s

Daniel J Singer, Right Belief and True Belief

Atoosa Kasirzadeh reviews Scientific Collaboration and Collective Knowledge, by Boyer-Kassem et al.

Atoosa Kasirzadeh

Next Home Previous Scientific Collaboration and Collective Knowledge Thomas Boyer-Kassem, Conor Mayo-Wilson, and Michael Weisberg




Reviewed by Atoosa Kasirzadeh

 Scientific Collaboration and Collective Knowledge

Thomas Boyer-Kassem, Conor Mayo-Wilson, and Michael Weisberg (

 eds

) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, £55.00 ISBN 9780190680534 Scientific collaboration is taking place

Boyer-Kassem et al., Scientific Collaboration and Collective Knowledge

Christopher Clarke reviews Understanding Institutions, by Francesco Guala

Christopher Clarke

Next Home Previous Understanding Institutions: The Science and Philosophy of Living Together Francesco Guala




Reviewed by Christopher Clarke

 Understanding Institutions: The Science and Philosophy of Living Together

Francesco Guala Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2016, £27.95 ISBN 9780691171784 If you take a philosophical interest in social ontology, either as a specialist or

Francesco Guala&#8217;s Understanding Institutions

Jo Wolff reviews Naturalism beyond the Limits of Science, by Nina Emery

Jo Wolff

Nina Emery

 NATURALISM BEYOND THE LIMITS OF SCIENCE

Reviewed by Jo Wolff Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Naturalism beyond the Limits of Science Nina Emery Reviewed by Jo Wolff

 Naturalism beyond the Limits of Science: How Scientific Methodology Can and Should Shape Philosophical Theorizing


 ◳

Nina Emery New York: Oxford University Press, 2023, £54.00 ISBN

Nina Emery, Naturalism beyond the Limits of Science

Azita Chellappoo reviews Beyond the Meme, edited by Love and Wimsatt

Azita Chellappoo

Next Home Previous Beyond the Meme Alan C. Love and William Wimsatt Reviewed by Azita Chellappoo

 Beyond the Meme: Development and Structure in Cultural Evolution

Alan C. Love and William Wimsatt (

 eds

) Minneapolis, MN: Minnesota University Press, 2019, £132.00 / £33.00 ISBN 9781517906894 / 9781517906900 Since Richard Dawkins first coined the term ‘meme’, the meme and its associated research programme has been mired in

Love and Wimsatt, Beyond the Meme

Michael Liston reviews A Plea for Natural Philosophy by Penelope Maddy

Michael Liston

Penelope Maddy

 A PLEA FOR NATURAL PHILOSOPHY

Reviewed by Michael Liston Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home A Plea for Natural Philosophy Penelope Maddy

 Reviewed by Michael Liston


 A Plea for Natural Philosophy and Other Essays


 ◳

Penelope Maddy Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £47.99 ISBN 9780197508855 Cite as: Liston, M. [2024]: ‘Penelope Maddy’s

Penelope Maddy, A Plea for Natural Philosophy  //  Reviewed

Juan Mayoral reviews How Knowledge Grows by Chris Haufe

Juan V Mayoral

Chris Haufe

 HOW KNOWLEDGE GROWS

Reviewed by Juan V Mayoral Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home How Knowledge Grows Chris Haufe

 Reviewed by Juan V Mayoral


 How Knowledge Grows: The Evolutionary Development of Scientific Practice


 ◳

Chris Haufe Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2022, £45.00 ISBN 9780262544450 Cite as: Mayoral, J. V. [2024]: ‘Chris

Chris Haufe, How Knowledge Grows //  Reviewed

John S Wilkins reviews Biological Essentialism by Michael Devitt

John S. Wilkins

Michael Devitt

 BIOLOGICAL ESSENTIALISM

Reviewed by John S Wilkins Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Biological Essentialism Michael Devitt

 Reviewed by John S Wilkins


 Biological Essentialism


 ◳

Michael Devitt Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, £60.00 ISBN 9780198840282 Cite as: Wilkins, J. S. [2023]: ‘Michael Devitt’s

 Biological

Michael Devitt, Biological Essentialism

BJPS Book Reviewers

Next Home Previous Representation in Cognitive Science Nicholas Shea Reviewed by Daniel Calder and Jonny Lee

 Representation in Cognitive Science

Nicholas Shea Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, £53.00/ £19.99 ISBN 9780198812883/ 9780198866954 The role of representation in understanding cognition continues to be one of the most hotly contested debates in contemporary philosophy of cognitive science.

Nicholas Shea, Representation in Cognitive Science

Michael Bishop reviews Scientific Epistemology, by Hilary Kornblith

Michael Bishop

Hilary Kornblith

 SCIENTIFIC EPISTEMOLOGY

Reviewed by Michael Bishop Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Scientific Epistemology Hilary Kornblith

 Reviewed by Michael Bishop


 Scientific Epistemology


 ◳

Hilary Kornblith Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £74/00 / £19.99 ISBN 9780197609552 / 9780197609552 Cite as: Bishop, M. [2024]: ‘Hilary Kornblith’s

Hilary Kornblith, Scientific Epistemology

Steven French reviews Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics, edited by Shan Gao

Steven French

Home Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics Shan Gao Reviewed by Steven French

 Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics

Shan Gao (

 ed

.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £64.00 ISBN 9780197501665 For many years any mention of consciousness in the context of quantum physics was generally restricted to those popular accounts that might be found on the ‘New Age’ or ‘Spiritual’ bookshelves.

Shan Gao, Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics

Andrew Buskell reviews Human Success, edited by Hugh Desmond and Grant Ramsey

Andrew Buskell

Home      Human Success  Hugh Desmond &amp;

Hugh Desmond &#038; Grant Ramsey, Human Success

Charles H. Pence reviews How Biology Shapes Philosophy, edited by David Livingstone Smith

Charles H. Pence

Next Home Previous How Biology Shapes Philosophy David Livingstone Smith Reviewed by Charles H. Pence

 How Biology Shapes Philosophy: New Foundations for Naturalism

David Livingstone Smith (

 ed

.) Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017, £82.99/£21.99 ISBN 9781107055834/9781107628205 As anyone who has put together a syllabus for a survey course in the philosophy of biology can attest, there is something of a dual

David Livingstone Smith, How Biology Shapes Philosophy

Matteo Colombo reviews The Nature of Physical Computation, by Oron Shagrir

Matteo Colombo

Home The Nature of Physical Computation Oron Shagrir Reviewed by Matteo Colombo

 The Nature of Physical Computation

Oron Shagrir Oxford University Press, 2022, £47.99 ISBN 9780197552384 Recently, a computer engineer claimed that the LaMDA (Language Model for Dialogue Applications) chatbot that he helped to build had become conscious, seemingly able to think like a human.

Oron Shagrir, The Nature of Physical Computation

de Regt &#038; Höhl

Next Home Previous Understanding, Explanation, and Scientific Knowledge Kareem Khalifa Reviewed by Henk W. de Regt and Anna E. Höhl

 Understanding, Explanation, and Scientific Knowledge

Kareem Khalifa Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017, £78.99 (£24.99) ISBN 9781107195639 (9781316646915) Recent years have witnessed an increasing interest among philosophers of science in the topic of understanding.

Kareem Khalifa, Understanding, Explanation, and Scientific Knowledge

Kevin Davey reviews The Art of Abduction, by Igor Douven

Kevin Davey

Home The Art of Abduction Igor Douven Reviewed by Kevin Davey

 The Art of Abduction

Igor Douven Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2022, £41.97 ISBN 9780262046701 Igor Douven’s most recent book,

 The Art of Abduction

, summarizes much of the author’s research on the topic of abduction that he has conducted over the last several decades, as well as gesturing at intriguing ways it may be developed in the future.

Igor Douven, The Art of Abduction

Mariam Thalos reviews A Middle Way: A Non-fundamental Approach to Many-Body Physics, by Robert W Batterman

Mariam Thalos

Home A Middle Way Robert W Batterman Reviewed by Mariam Thalos

 A Middle Way: A Non-fundamental Approach to Many-Body Physics

Robert W. Batterman Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021, £47.99 ISBN 978-0197568613 Before a theorist may even begin to offer an explanatory model (correct, useful, or otherwise) of some aspect of the universe, that theorist is required to settle in advance—and often implicitly—the following questions:

Robert Batterman, A Middle Way

David L Barack

Home      The Tools of Neuroscience Experiment  John Bickle, Carl F Craver &amp;

Bickle et al, The Tools of Neuroscience Experiment

Calvin Warner reviews A Better Ape, by Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell

Calvin Warner

Home A Better Ape Victor Kumar &amp; Richmond Campbell Reviewed by Calvin Warner

 A Better Ape: The Evolution of the Moral Mind and How It Made Us Human

Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £19.99 ISBN 9780197600122

 Introduction

The theory of evolution by natural selection is likely the most revolutionary idea in the history of science.

Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell, A Better Ape

Kristoffer Willert reviews Brute Facts, edited by Vintiadis &amp;

Kristoffer Willert

Next Home Previous Brute Facts Elly Vintiadis and Constantinos Mekios Reviewed by Kristoffer Willert

 Brute Facts

Elly Vintiadis and Constantinos Mekios (

 ed

.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, £50 ISBN 9780198758600 Say you are waiting for your mom at the cinema, but she doesn’t turn up. You wonder if she’s stuck in traffic. Or if she has mixed up the dates.

Vintiadis &#038; Mekios, Brute Facts

Lisa Bortolotti reviews Madness: A Philosophical Exploration, by Justin Garson

Lisa Bortolotti

Home Madness Justin Garson Reviewed by Lisa Bortolotti

 Madness: A Philosophical Exploration

Justin Garson Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £47.99 ISBN 9780197613832 I cannot remember the last time I read a book of philosophy that taught me something new and also took me on such a journey of images and sounds—a powerful reminder that, yes, rigorous philosophical ideas can be expressed in many forms, including excellent

Justin Garson, Madness

Jiji Zhang reviews A Logical Theory of Causality, by Alexander Bochman

Jiji Zhang

Home A Logical Theory of Causality Alexander Bochman Reviewed by Jiji Zhang

 A Logical Theory of Causality

Alexander Bochman Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2021, £48.00 ISBN 9780262045322 This is a rich and illuminating book by a seasoned researcher in the field of artificial intelligence.

Alexander Bochman, A Logical Theory of Causality

Caspar Jacobs reviews Physics, Structure, and Reality, by Jill North

Caspar Jacobs

Home Physics, Structure, and Reality Jill North Reviewed by Caspar Jacobs

 Physics, Structure, and Reality

Jill North Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021, £65.00 ISBN 9780192894106 Of the three words that make up the title of Jill North’s book—physics, structure, and reality—the middle one is the most important.

Jill North, Physics, Structure, and Reality

Home A Minimal Metaphysics for Scientific Practice Andreas Hüttemann Reviewed by Steven French

 A Minimal Metaphysics for Scientific Practice

Andreas Hüttemann Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021, £75.00 ISBN 9781316519394 Unpacking the title of this book, Hüttemann’s aim is to establish a metaphysics for scientific practice in the sense of ‘making explicit assumptions concerning the structure of reality that best

Andreas Hüttemann, A Minimal Metaphysics for Scientific Practice

Matthew J. Brown reviews The Pragmatist Challenge, by H. K. Andersen and Sandra D. Mitchell

Matthew J Brown

H K Andersen &amp; Sandra D Mitchell

 THE PRAGMATIST CHALLENGE

Reviewed by Matthew J Brown Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home The Pragmatist Challenge H K Andersen &amp;

Andersen and Mitchell, The Pragmatist Challenge

John Symons and Syed Abumusab review On the Foundations of Computing, by Giuseppe Primiero

John Symons and Syed Abumusab

Home On the Foundations of Computing Giuseppe Primiero Reviewed by John Symons and Syed Abumusab

 On the Foundations of Computing

Giuseppe Primiero Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, £40.00 ISBN 9780198835653 Philosophy of computer science has become a lively and diverse enterprise.

Giuseppe Primiero, On the Foundations of Computing

Matteo Colombo reviews Neurocognitive Mechanisms by Gualtiero Piccinini

Home Neurocognitive Mechanisms Gualtiero Piccinini Reviewed by Matteo Colombo

 Neurocognitive Mechanisms

:

 Explaining Biological Cognition

Gualtiero Piccinini Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020, £80.00 ISBN 9780198866282 Gualtiero Piccinini’s

 Neurocognitive Mechanisms

clarifies and addresses several foundational questions in the cognitive sciences, including: How does a multi-level mechanism like the brain

Gualtiero Piccinini, Neurocognitive Mechanisms

Jan Faye

Home Constructing Quantum Mechanics Anthony Duncan &amp; Michel Janssen Reviewed by Jan Faye

 Constructing Quantum Mechanics, Volume 1: The Scaffold 1900–1923

Anthony Duncan and Michel Janssen Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, £65.00 ISBN 9780198845478 As a philosopher of science interested in scientific methodology, one can take either a top-down or a bottom-up approach to understanding the development of science.

Duncan and Janssen, Constructing Quantum Mechanics

Max Kistler

Next Home Previous Macroscopic Metaphysics Paul Needham Reviewed by Max Kistler

 Macroscopic Metaphysics: Middle-Sized Objects and Longish Processes

Paul Needham Cham: Springer, 2017, £79.99 ISBN 9783319709987 Paul Needham’s book

 Macroscopic Metaphysics

elaborates a systematic metaphysical framework with the aim of analysing, along the lines of Strawson’s ([1959], p. 9; quoted on p. v) ‘descriptive metaphysics’,

Paul Needham, Macroscopic Metaphysics

Samuel Ruhmkorff reviews Resisting Scientific Realism, by K. Brad Wray

Samuel Ruhmkorff

Next Home Previous Resisting Scientific Realism K. Brad Wray Reviewed by Samuel Ruhmkorff

 Resisting Scientific Realism

K. Brad Wray Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018, £75.00 ISBN 9781108415217 K. Brad Wray’s new book is an excellent overview of the scientific realism debate, as well as a development of the state-of-the-art.

K. Brad Wray, Resisting Scientific Realism

Rani Lill Anjum

Next Home Previous Causality, Probability, and Medicine Donald Gillies Reviewed by Rani Lill Anjum

 Causality, Probability, and Medicine

Donald Gillies London: Routledge, 2018, HB £100/PB £29.99 ISBN 9781138829282 / 9781138829305 I was delighted to discover this new book by Donald Gillies.

Donald Gillies, Causality, Probability, and Medicine

Karen Crowther reviews Beyond the Dynamical Universe, by Silberstein et al.

Karen Crowther

Next Home Previous Beyond the Dynamical Universe Michael Silberstein, W. M. Stuckey, and Timothy McDevitt


Reviewed by Karen Crowther

 Beyond the Dynamical Universe: Unifying Block Universe Physics and Time as Experienced

Michael Silberstein, W. M. Stuckey, and Timothy McDevitt Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, £55 ISBN 9780198807087 Many of the greatest problems in fundamental physics, cosmology, and

Silberstein et al., Beyond the Dynamical Universe

Michael Liston reviews Physics Avoidance, by Mark Wilson

Next Home Previous PHYSICS AVOIDANCE MARK WILSON




Reviewed by Michael Liston

 Physics Avoidance: Essays in Conceptual Strategy

Mark Wilson Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, £60.00 ISBN 9780198803478 This collection of nine free-standing essays offers a fresh perspective on science and language and a fascinating critique of much of contemporary philosophy.

Mark Wilson, Physics Avoidance

Teru Miyake reviews Rock, Bone, and Ruin, by Adrian Currie

Teru Miyake

Next Home Previous ROCK, BONE, AND RUIN ADRIAN CURRIE


Reviewed by Teru Miyake

 Rock, Bone, and Ruin: An Optimist’s Guide to the Historical Sciences

Adrian Currie Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2018, £27.00 ISBN 9780262037266 The historical sciences appear to present a challenge for mainstream views about the epistemology of science, which have largely been developed with the physical sciences in mind.

Adrian Currie, Rock, Bone, and Ruin

Chris Kapulkin and Nicholas Teh review Categories for the Working Philosopher, by Elaine Landry

Chris Kapulkin and Nicholas Teh

Next Home Previous Categories for the Working Philosopher Elaine Landry




Reviewed by Chris Kapulkin and Nicholas Teh

 
 Categories for the Working Philosopher
 

Elaine Landry (

 ed

.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, £75.00 ISBN 9780198748991 The publication of Saunders Mac Lane’s ([1971])

 Categories for the Working Mathematician

(CWM) was a signal

Elaine Landry, Categories for the Working Philosopher

Adam Ferner reviews Everything Flows, by Nicholson and Dupré

Adam Ferner

Next Home Previous EVERYTHING FLOWS DANIEL NICHOLSON AND JOHN DUPRÉ




Reviewed by Adam Ferner

 
 Everything Flows: Towards a Processual Philosophy of Biology
 

Daniel J. Nicholson and John Dupré (

 eds

) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, £55 (hardback)/free (ebook) ISBN 9780198779636 For a few years now there have been strange rumblings emanating from Exeter.

Nicholson and Dupré, Everything Flows

Matteo Morganti

Next Home Previous A Minimalist Ontology of the Natural World Michael Esfeld and Dirk-André Deckert




Reviewed by Matteo Morganti

 
 A Minimalist Ontology of the Natural World
 

Michael Esfeld and Dirk-André Deckert New York: Routledge, 2018, £92 ISBN 9781138307308 Among those who embrace naturalism, and consequently urge that the

 a priori

methods of philosophy

Esfeld and Deckert, A Minimalist Ontology of the Natural World

Next Home Previous Real Hallucinations Matthew Ratcliffe




Reviewed by Matteo Colombo

 Real Hallucinations: Psychiatric Illness, Intentionality, and the Interpersonal World

Matthew Ratcliffe Cambridge, MA: The MIT Press, 2017, £32.95 ISBN 9780262036719

 Suddenly, there was a terrible roar all around us,


 and the sky was full of what looked like huge bats,


 all swooping and

Matthew Ratcliffe, Real Hallucinations

Kerry McKenzie reviews Scientific Ontology, by Anjan Chakravartty

Kerry McKenzie

Next Home Previous SCIENTIFIC ONTOLOGY ANJAN CHAKRAVARTTY Reviewed by Kerry McKenzie

 Scientific Ontology: Integrating Naturalized Metaphysics and Voluntarist Epistemology

Anjan Chakravartty Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, £47.99 ISBN 9780190651459 According to Sayre’s law, ‘academic politics are so vicious precisely because the stakes are so small’. Though I anticipate the usual grousing over whether, strictly speaking,

Anjan Chakravartty, Scientific Ontology

Carl F. Craver

Next Home Previous The New Mechanical Philosophy Stuart Glennan






Reviewed by Carl F. Craver

 The New Mechanical Philosophy

Stuart Glennan Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, £30.00 ISBN 9780198779711

 The New Mechanical Philosophy

is Stuart Glennan’s most comprehensive treatment of the philosophical worldview he championed well before his audacious title had a

Stuart Glennan, The New Mechanical Philosophy

David Corfield

Next Home Previous Making and Breaking Mathematical Sense Roi Wagner




Reviewed by David Corfield

 Making and Breaking Mathematical Sense: Histories and Philosophies of Mathematical Practice

Roi Wagner Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2017, £37.95 ISBN 9780691171715 Reading the opening pages of this book, an enormous sympathy welled up in me towards its author.

Roi Wagner, Making and Breaking Mathematical Sense

Seamus Bradley

Next Home Previous Decision Theory with a Human Face Richard Bradley




Reviewed by Seamus Bradley

 Decision Theory with a Human Face

Richard Bradley Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017, £75.00 ISBN 9781107003217 This is an ambitious book on an interesting topic.

Richard Bradley, &#8216;Decision Theory with a Human Face&#8217;

Michela Massimi

Next Home Previous Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered Stéphanie Ruphy




Reviewed by Michela Massimi

 Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered: A New Approach to the (Dis)unity of Science

Stéphanie Ruphy Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2016, £42.50 ISBN 9780822944584 Scientific pluralism is a timely and important topic in contemporary philosophy of science.

Stéphanie Ruphy, &#8216;Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered&#8217;

Shane N. Glackin reviews The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher, by Couch and Pfeifer

Shane N. Glackin

Next Home Previous The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher Mark Couch and Jessica Pfeifer (

 eds

)




Reviewed by Shane N. Glackin

 The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher

Mark Couch and Jessica Pfeifer (

 eds

) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, £47.99 ISBN 9780199381357 It would be an exaggeration to say that this handsome edited volume provides a

 full

overview of Philip

Couch and Pfeifer&#8217;s The Philosophy of Philip Kitcher

Michael Wilde

Next Home Previous Making Medical Knowledge Miriam Solomon




Reviewed by Michael Wilde

 
 Making Medical Knowledge
 

Miriam Solomon Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2015, £35 ISBN 9780198732617 In

 Making Medical Knowledge

, Miriam Solomon describes a variety of epistemological approaches, or ‘methods’, employed by medical researchers and practitioners.

Miriam Solomon&#8217;s Making Medical Knowledge

Julia Bursten reviews Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry, by Scerri and Fisher

Julia Bursten

Next Home Previous Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher (

 eds

)




Reviewed by Julia Bursten

 
 Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry
 

Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher (

 eds

) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, £38.99 ISBN 9780190494599 Eric Scerri and Grant Fisher’s edited volume,

 Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry

boasts a

Scerri and Fisher&#8217;s Essays in the Philosophy of Chemistry

Andrew Buskell reviews Surfing Uncertainty, by Andy Clark

Next Home Previous Surfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Brain Andy Clark




Reviewed by Andrew Buskell

 Surfing Uncertainty: Prediction, Action, and the Embodied Brain

Andy Clark Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2016, £20 (hardback) ISBN 9780190217013 I have a vivid memory from my undergraduate degree in psychology: a short video, no longer than five seconds long, showing the

Andy Clark&#8217;s Surfing Uncertainty

Reutlinger &#038; Hartmann

Next Home Previous Reconstructing Reality: Models, Mathematics, and Simulations Margaret Morrison




Reviewed by Alexander Reutlinger and Stephan Hartmann

 Reconstructing Reality: Models, Mathematics, and Simulations

Margaret Morrison New York: Oxford University Press, 2015, £44.49 (hardback) ISBN 9780199380275 In her new book

 Reconstructing Reality

(henceforth RR), Margaret Morrison’s

BJPS Review Of Books

Enquist, Ghirlanda & Lind, The Human Evolutionary Transition

Andersen and Mitchell, The Pragmatist Challenge

Yafeng Shan, Alternative Approaches to Causation

Neil Levy, Philosophy, Bullshit, and Peer Review

James Read, Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity

Shannon Vallor, The AI Mirror

Mazviita Chirimuuta, The Brain Abstracted

Daniel Greco, Idealization in Epistemology

Matteo Mameli, Why Human Nature Matters // Marco J Nathan, The Quest for Human Nature

Hans-Jörg Rheinberger, Split and Splice

Marshall Abrams, Evolution and the Machinery of Chance