Summary
A unique introduction to the philosophy of science with special emphasis on the life sciences. Part I presents elementary but fundamental concepts and problems in epistemology and their relation to questions of scientific methodology. Part II deals with case studies from the history of biology which illustrate particular philosophical points, while Part III progresses to more complex ideas such as on the nature and methodology of science. Part IV discusses the limitations of scientific enquiry and its relations to other systems of knowledge and interpretation.
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"As important as biology is today, most books in the philosophy of biology are too technical to be understood by students and the general public. In Life Scientists, Professor Verschuuren gives his readers the benefits of his deep understanding of recent work in both biology and philosophy, without burdening his exposition with unnecessary technicalities. Anyone who is interested in current thinking in the philosophy of biology will profit from reading this book."
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"The text is crisp and logical; the author is a born teacher. Anyone [...] teaching the epistemology of life sciences to medical students must be delighted to have it all neatly packed, ready to be unwrapped and served to the class. [...] Buy it and read it."
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"[...] the author has a happy knack of laying out positions quickly and clearly; he does not bog down the reader with too many details [...] and he has a real gift for setting down an idea diagrammatically, separating out concepts with a few strokes of the pen."
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