Why read Theories On The Scrap Heap?

Book cover of Theories On The Scrap Heap: Scientists and Philosophers on the Falsification, Rejection, and Replacement of Theories

Book description

In a recent issue of the Atlantic Monthly, Cullen Murphy wrote that "It is always a little disconcerting when audacious scientific theories come a cropper." In this case, he was speaking of Stephen Hawking's now self-repudiated idea that information swallowed by cosmic black holes might be escaping into "baby universes."…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Theories On The Scrap Heap as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Steven L. Goldman

Author

I really like this book and I regularly use it as a textbook in my Introduction to the Philosophy of Science course.

What I like is the way that Losee uses very short case studies in the history of science to refute the popular view that, through experimentation and observation, nature decides between competing theories and provides the justification for replacing an older theory with a new one. Although Losee does not always agree with Kuhn, I find that his book beautifully complements the history-based argument in Kuhn’s book, and both are short!

From Steven's list on what scientists really know and how they know it.