1st Edition

Current Controversies in Philosophy of Science

Edited By Shamik Dasgupta, Ravit Dotan, Brad Weslake Copyright 2021
    212 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    212 Pages 5 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Current Controversies in Philosophy of Science asks twelve philosophers to debate six questions that are driving contemporary work in this area of philosophy. The questions are:

    I. Are Boltzmann Brains Bad?

    II. Does Mathematical Explanation Require Mathematical Truth?

    III. Does Quantum Mechanics Suggest Spacetime is Nonfundamental?

    IV. Is Evolution Fundamental When It Comes to Defining Biological Ontology?

    V. Is Chance Ontologically Fundamental?

    VI. Are Sexes Natural Kinds?

    These debates explore the philosophical foundations of particular scientific disciplines, while also examining more general issues in the philosophy of science. The result is a book that’s perfect for the advanced philosophy student, building up their knowledge of the foundations of the field and engaging with its cutting-edge questions. Preliminary descriptions of each chapter, annotated lists of further readings for each controversy, and study questions for each chapter help provide clearer and richer snapshots of active controversies for all readers.              

    Introduction
    Ravit Dotan and Shamik Dasgupta

    Part I: Are Boltzmann Brains Bad?

    1. Why Boltzmann Brains Are Bad
    Sean M. Carroll

    2. What Follows from the Possibility of Boltzmann Brains?
    Matthew Kotzen

    Part II: Does Mathematical Explanation Require Mathematical Truth?

    3. Mathematical Explanation Requires Mathematical Truth
    Christopher Pincock

    4. Mathematical Explanation Doesn’t Require Mathematical Truth
    Mary Leng

    Part III: Does Quantum Mechanics Suggest Spacetime is Non-fundamental?

    5. Against Wavefunction Realism
    David Wallace

    6. Separability, Locality, and Higher Dimensions in Quantum Mechanics
    Alyssa Ney

    Part IV: Is Evolution Fundamental When it Comes to Defining Biological Ontology?

    7. Is Evolution Fundamental When It Comes to Biological Ontology?
    Maureen A. O'Malley

    8. Is Evolution Fundamental When It Comes to Defining Biological Ontology? Yes
    Ellen Clarke

    Part V: Is Chance Ontologically Fundamental?

    9. Chance and the Great Divide
    Ned Hall

    10. On Chance (or, Why I am Only a Half-Humean)
    J. T. Ismael

    Part VI: Are Sexes Natural Kinds?

    11. Are Sexes Natural Kinds?
    Muhammad Ali Khalidi

    12 The Animal Sexes as Historical Explanatory Kinds
    Laura Franklin-Hall

    Biography

    Shamik Dasgupta is Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has taught since 2016. He works in metaphysics, philosophy of science, and value theory.

    Ravit Dotan is a graduate student at the University of California, Berkeley. She specializes in epistemology, philosophy of science, and philosophy of machine learning.

    Brad Weslake is Associate Professor of Philosophy at NYU Shanghai. His central research interest is philosophy of science, especially causation and explanation.