Scientific Thinking

Robert M. Martin (Autor)

Buch | Softcover

346 Seiten

1997
Broadview Press Ltd (Verlag)
978-1-55111-130-8 (ISBN)

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A practical guide to inductive reasoning – the sort of reasoning that is commonly used in scientific activity, whether such activity is performed by a scientist, a reporter, a political pollster, or any one of us in day-to-day life. The book provides comprehensive coverage of such topics as confirmation, sampling, correlations, causality, hypotheses, and experimental methods.

Scientific Thinking is a practical guide to inductive reasoning – the sort of reasoning that is commonly used in scientific activity, whether such activity is performed by a scientist, a reporter, a political pollster, or any one of us in day-to-day life. The book provides comprehensive coverage of such topics as confirmation, sampling, correlations, causality, hypotheses, and experimental methods. Martin’s writing confounds those who would think that such topics must be dry-as-dust, presenting ideas in a lively and engaging tone and incorporating amusing examples throughout. This book underlines the importance of acquiring good habits of scientific thinking, and helps to instill those habits in the reader. Stimulating questions and exercises are included in each chapter.

Robert M. Martin is Professor of Philosophy (retired), Dalhousie University. His other books include The Philosopher’s Dictionary and There Are Two Errors in the the Title of This Book – Revised and Expanded (Again).

Chapter 0: Not Your Usual Introduction

Part I: Induction, Proportions, Correlations

Chapter 1: Galileo and Mrs. Smith
Chapter 2: Induction, Deduction, Confirmation
Chapter 3: Sampling
Chapter 4: Samples
Chapter 5: Imprecision and Confidence Level
Chapter 6: Statistical Relations
Chapter 7: Correlations Described
Chapter 8: Correlations Calculated

Part II: Explanations

Chapter 9: Explanations Explained
Chapter 10: Problems with D-N Model
Chapter 11: Hypotheses and Explanations
Chapter 12: Two Strategies for Hypothesizing
Chapter 13: Disconfirming Hypotheses
Chapter 14: Empiricism Revisited
Chapter 15: Categories
Chapter 16: Kinds and Laws

Part III: Cause

Chapter 17: Seeing Causes
Chapter 18: Causal Relations
Chapter 19: Causal Complications
Chapter 20: Experimental Confirmation
Chapter 21: Experimental Procedures
Chapter 22: Non-Experimental Methods
Chapter 23: The Truth

Index

Erscheint lt. Verlag	31.3.1997
Sprache	englisch
Maße	165 x 229 mm
Gewicht	600 g
Themenwelt	Naturwissenschaften
ISBN-10	1-55111-130-6 / 1551111306
ISBN-13	978-1-55111-130-8 / 9781551111308
Zustand	Neuware