Scientific Representation: Paradoxes of Perspective
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Review
Although... Scientific Representation began life as a series of lectures, it is far more than that. Indeed, I regard it as the true successor to The Scientific Image, an even more mature exposition of an empiricist philosophy of science for a philosophical audience much broader than technical philosophers of science. It is a book rich in historical and contemporary insights which makes even greater breaks with the past than its influential predecessor. And the ever elegant style makes it a joy to read. (Ronald N. Giere, Philosophy of Science )
Since Representation is contemporary, varied, exciting, provocative, profound, and (sometimes) sketchy... and since Representation is very accessible... it is an ideal book for stirring up discussion in a reading group as well as for introducing students to a host of topics in the philosophy of science that are currently discussed in journals and on conferences. (Fred Muller, Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Psychics )
a typically erudite survey of many kinds of representation both outside science and within, ranging from portraits and perspective to maps and measurement... an ingenious thinker (David Papineau, Times Literary Supplement )
Densely argued, erudite and rich in examples from both art and science... Scientific Representation is both provocative and subtle, and will appeal to a more general readership as well as the science studies aficionado. It takes us beyond the issue of representation in science to offer one of the most well thought-out representations of science currently available. (Steven French, Times Higher Education )
develops a sophisticated, intriguing, subtle line of argument... This is a book with an important and intricate story to tell, and it does it with so much attention to historical, philosophical, scientific, and even artistic details that makes it an occasion for a thousand wider meditations. (Michela Massimi, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science )
Since Representation is contemporary, varied, exciting, provocative, profound, and (sometimes) sketchy... and since Representation is very accessible... it is an ideal book for stirring up discussion in a reading group as well as for introducing students to a host of topics in the philosophy of science that are currently discussed in journals and on conferences. (Fred Muller, Studies in the History and Philosophy of Modern Psychics )
a typically erudite survey of many kinds of representation both outside science and within, ranging from portraits and perspective to maps and measurement... an ingenious thinker (David Papineau, Times Literary Supplement )
Densely argued, erudite and rich in examples from both art and science... Scientific Representation is both provocative and subtle, and will appeal to a more general readership as well as the science studies aficionado. It takes us beyond the issue of representation in science to offer one of the most well thought-out representations of science currently available. (Steven French, Times Higher Education )
develops a sophisticated, intriguing, subtle line of argument... This is a book with an important and intricate story to tell, and it does it with so much attention to historical, philosophical, scientific, and even artistic details that makes it an occasion for a thousand wider meditations. (Michela Massimi, International Studies in the Philosophy of Science )
Product Description
Bas C. van Fraassen presents an original exploration of how we represent the world. Science represents natural phenomena by means of theories, as well as in many concrete ways by such means as pictures, graphs, table-top models, and computer simulations. Scientific Representation begins with an inquiry into the nature of representation in general, drawing on such diverse sources as Plato's dialogues, the development of perspectival drawing in the Renaissance, and the geometric styles of modelling in modern physics. Starting with Mach's and Poincaré's analyses of measurement and the 'problem of coordination', van Fraassen then presents a view of measurement outcomes as representations. With respect to the theories of contemporary science he defends an empiricist structuralist version of the 'picture theory' of science, through an inquiry into the paradoxes that came to light in twentieth-century philosophies of science. Van Fraassen concludes with an analysis of the complex relationship between appearance and reality in the scientific world-picture.
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3 reviews
15 of 20 people found the following review helpful
a very good read about a difficult subject
14 Sep 2009
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I am a philosopher, but not a philosopher of science, and much of this book was not of general interest to someone like myself. However, I looked at this book because of an interest in scientific (and other) models, and it did not disappoint. The explanations were quite fulsome and clear, and nicely illustrated. It satisfied completely the purpose for which I read it.
Moreover, the writing has the feel of someone actively thinking -- almost thinking out loud and talking to the reader. I enjoyed it so much that I read a second book by van Frassen, on empiricism, which I enjoyed even more. He is a robust and honest thinker, and that is a delight.
Moreover, the writing has the feel of someone actively thinking -- almost thinking out loud and talking to the reader. I enjoyed it so much that I read a second book by van Frassen, on empiricism, which I enjoyed even more. He is a robust and honest thinker, and that is a delight.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Beset with typographical errors.
19 May 2012
Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase
For this review, I'd just like to focus on the writing itself and say that the quantity of typographical errors in the book was daunting. Most irritatingly, there are several cases of unmatched quotation marks. Then there is an "it" instead of an "if" in the statement of a conditional. In general, the frequency of encountering a misspelled word or a rogue functional element in a sentence is much higher than what one could forgive. How could such unprofessionalism have been overlooked?
2 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Good but could have been great
17 April 2011
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Science, appearances, and representation ... Threading them together is what this book is essentially about. The author subscribes to the empiricist structuralist school of thought with respect to science. In a nutshell, what he believes is that rather than laying bare the objective workings of nature, science can only be successful at mapping appearances within a coherent system of theories and empirical predictions. It has to make it all hang together. In this sense, Van Fraassen falls into the same philosophical camp as Quine and Duhem who too think that a belief is believed in so far as it imparts cohesion to a system of preexisting beliefs or scientific statements. If you believe this trio, what science is is like the framework whereby you can properly interpret "You are here" on a mall map. "You are here" represents the systematic locus of your preexisting empirical beliefs and theories, while the rest of the map is what you confront anew and try to make sense of. In other words, science is a structural representation of, not necessarily the objective nature of nature, but of how you represent it all to yourself. This book is thus another arrow in the quiver of a philosophical skeptic. It is a book with good content, but the writing was a bit wordy and repetitious.
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