Scientific Representation

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 Poincare'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.

ISBN 0199278237   Pages 424 ISBN13 9780199278237 (What's this?)   Weight (grammes) 630 Publisher Oxford University Press   Published in Oxford Imprint Oxford University Press   Height (mm) 231 Format Paperback   Width (mm) 156 Publication date 22 Jul 2010   Spine width (mm) 23 DEWEY 501   Academic level General DEWEY edition DC22

		Preface
		List of Figures
		Introduction: the ápicture theory of science'		1
Part I		Representation
1		Representation of, Representation As		11
		The value of distortion		12
		How does a representation represent?		15
		What's in a photo?		20
		What is a representation then?		22
		Appearance to the intellect: illumination as embedding		29
		In conclusion		30
2		Imaging, Picturing, and Scaling		33
		Modes of representation		33
		What distinguishes a picture?		36
		Mathematical imagery, distortion through abstraction		39
		Scale models and virtuous distortion		49
		Conclusion about imaging and scaling		56
3		Pictorial Perspective and the Indexical		59
		Pictorial perspective and the Art of Measuring		60
		Perspective versus Descartes's frames of reference		66
		Mapping and perspectival self-location		75
		What is in a map?		82
		Visual perspective and the metaphor		84
		Concluding empiricist postscript		86
Part II		Windows, Engines, and Measurement
4		A Window on the Invisible World(?)		93
		Instrumentation's diversity of roles		94
		Engines of creation: engendering new phenomena		100
		More...

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

 Be the first to write a customer review