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This book provides a survey of a number of the major issues in the philosophy of mathematics, such as ontological questions regarding the nature of mathematical objects, epistemological questions about the acquisition of mathematical knowledge, and the intriguing riddle of the applicability of mathematics to the physical world. Some of these issues go back to the nascent years of mathematics itself, others are just beginning to draw the attention of scholars. In addressing these question, some of the papers in this volume wrestle with them directly, while others use the writings of philosophers such as Hume and Wittgenstein to approach their problems by way of interpretation and critique. These issues and these approaches lay at the heart of Mark Steiner’s work throughout his career. They are addressed in the present volume by prominent philosophers of science and of mathematics as well as promising younger scholars. The volume seeks to share the concerns of philosophers of mathematics and of science with a wider audience and will be of interest to historians, mathematicians and philosophers alike.

Metaphysics --- Theory of knowledge --- Philosophy of science --- Mathematics --- wetenschapsfilosofie --- kennisleer --- metafysica --- wiskunde --- Knowledge, Theory of. --- Metaphysics. --- Philosophy of Mathematics. --- Epistemology. --- Philosophy.

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This book seeks to provide new perspectives, to broaden the field of philosophy of science, or to renew themes that have had a great impact on the profession. Thus, after an initial chapter to situate the current trends in philosophy of science and the prospective of the near future, it offers contributions in five thematic blocks: I) Philosophy of Medicine and Climate Change; II) Philosophy of Artificial Intelligence and the Internet; III) New Analyses of Probability and the Use of Mathematics in Practice; IV) Scientific Progress Revisited; and V) Scientific Realism and the Instrumentalist Alternative. Within this framework, the volume addresses such relevant issues as the methodological validity of medical evidence or decision making in situations of uncertainty; recent advances in Artificial Intelligence and the future of the Internet; current forms of empirically based methodological pluralism and new ways of understanding mathematics with scientific practice; and the revision of the approaches to scientific progress based on the experiences accumulated in recent decades.

Philosophy --- Theory of knowledge --- Philosophy of science --- filosofie --- wetenschapsfilosofie --- kennisleer --- pragmatisme --- Science—Philosophy. --- Knowledge, Theory of. --- Pragmatism. --- Philosophy of Science. --- Epistemology.

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The Queer Art of Failure is about finding alternatives - to conventional understandings of success in a heteronormative, capitalist society; to academic disciplines that confirm what is already known according to approved methods of knowing; and to cultural criticism that claims to break new ground but cleaves to conventional archives. Halberstam proposes "low theory" as a mode of thinking and writing that operates at many different levels at once. Low theory is derived from eccentric archives. It runs the risk of not being taken seriously. It entails a willingness to fail and to lose one's way, to pursue difficult questions about complicity, and to find counterintuitive forms of resistance. Tacking back and forth between high theory and low theory, high culture and low culture, Halberstam looks for the unexpected and subversive in popular culture, avant-garde performance, and queer art. Halberstam pays particular attention to animated children's films, revealing narratives filled with unexpected encounters between the childish, the transformative, and the queer. Failure sometimes offers more creative, cooperative, and surprising ways of being in the world, even as it forces us to face the dark side of life, love, and libido.

Sociology of culture --- Social epistemology. --- Failure (Psychology) --- Stupidity. --- Queer theory. --- Failure (Psychology). --- Erfolg. --- Versagen. --- Queer-Theorie. --- Kulturwissenschaften. --- Massenkultur. --- Philosophie. --- Soziale Erkenntnistheorie. --- Authoritarianism --- Feminism --- Movies --- Heterosexuality --- Homosexuality --- Queer --- Capitalism --- Art --- Book

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The Structures of Practical Knowledge investigates the nature of practical knowledge – why, how, when and by whom it is codified, and once codified, how this knowledge is structured. The inquiry unfolds in a series of fifteen case studies, which range in focus from early modern Italy to eighteenth century China. At the heart of each study is a shared definition of practical knowledge, that is, knowledge needed to obtain a certain outcome, whether that be an artistic or mechanical artifact, a healing practice, or a mathematical result. While the content of practical knowledge is widely variable, this study shows that all practical knowledge is formally equivalent in following a defined workflow, as reflected in a construction procedure, a recipe, or an algorithm. As explored in the volume’s fifteen contributions, there are three levels at which structures of practical knowledge may be understood and examined. At the most immediate level, there are the individual workflows that encompasses practical knowledge itself. Probing further, it is possible to examine the structure of practical knowledge as it is externalized and codified in texts, drawings, and artifacts such as models. Finally, practical knowledge is also related to social structures, which fundamentally determine its dissemination and evolution into new knowledge structures. The social structures of professionals and institutions represent the critical means by which practical knowledge takes form. These actors are the agents of codification, and by means of selection, appropriation, investment, and knowledge development, they determine the formation of new structures of practical knowledge. On a more abstract level, the creation of new knowledge structures is understood as constituting the basis for the further development of scientific knowledge. Rich in subject matter and incisive in the theory it lays out, this volume represents an important contribution to the history of science and epistemology. Individually, the fifteen case studies – encompassing the history of architecture, mining, brewing, glass production, printing, ballistics, mechanics, cartography, cosmology and astronomy – are replete with original research, and offer new insights into the history of science. Taken together, the contributions remodel historical epistemology as a whole, elucidating the underlining knowledge structures that transcend disciplinary boundaries, and that unite practitioners across time and space.

Theory of knowledge --- Philosophy of science --- Logic --- Pure sciences. Natural sciences (general) --- History --- wetenschapsgeschiedenis --- geschiedenis --- epistomologie --- wetenschapsfilosofie --- kennisleer --- History. --- Epistemology. --- Philosophy and science. --- History of Science. --- Philosophy of Science.

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This book offers a comprehensive update on the scientific realism debate, enabling readers to gain a novel appreciation of the role of objectivity and truth in science and to understand fully the various ways in which antirealist conceptions have been subjected to challenge over recent decades. Authoritative representatives of different philosophical traditions explain their perspectives on the meaning and validity of scientific realism and describe the strategies being adopted to counter persisting antirealist positions. The coverage extends beyond the usual discussion of realism within the context of the natural sciences, and especially physics, to encompass also its applicability in mathematics, logic, and the human sciences. The book will appeal to all with an interest in the recent realist epistemologies of science, the nature of current philosophical debate, and the ongoing rehabilitation of truth as the legitimate goal of scientific research.

Metaphysics --- Theory of knowledge --- Philosophy of science --- Logic --- History of physics --- epistomologie --- wetenschapsfilosofie --- kennisleer --- metafysica --- fysica --- Philosophy and science. --- Physics. --- Epistemology. --- Metaphysics. --- Ontology. --- Philosophy of Science. --- History and Philosophical Foundations of Physics.