Desiring to learn about the study of the philosophy of science, I availed myself of the remarkably collegial, friendly environment of Bluesky and posted a question there asking for recommendations of books introducing the subject. The response was very encouraging indeed! Therefore I thought, as others might be interested as well, that I’d compile and publish my notes from the replies into the list below, which contains links to all the books that were recommended as well as links to the Bluesky profiles of the people who so kindly recommended them.
- Theory and Reality; An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science by Peter Godfrey-Smith (recommended by Bill Vanderburgh)
- The Meaning of Science; An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science by Tim Lewens (recommended by Rhys Ting)
- An Introduction to the Philosophy of Science by Lisa Bortolotti (recommended by Helen Dr Cruz)
- Pandora’s Hope; Essays on the Reality of Science Studies by Bruno Latour (recommended by David, who added the caveat that it is “not really an introduction but detailed and provocative”)
- What Is This Thing Called Science? by Alan F. Chalmers (recommended by Ola)
- Defending Science – Within Reason; Between Scientism And Cynicism by Susan Haack (recommended by Thomas Lumley)
- Crisis of European Sciences and Transcendental Phenomenology by Edmund Husserl, translated by David Carr (recommended by Tim Holt-Wilson)
Also recommended – by Michele McCarthy – was Sean Carroll’s Mindscape podcast.
A particularly helpful word of advice was also given by Br. Robert Macke, SJ, “I often find that books tend to present *a* philosophy of science rather than cover the topic broadly. The best approach is to read several with different perspectives, and try not to fall into ‘the first book is the right one’ error.
Additionally, and well worth noting, was a comment made by billga2603, “Some would regard philosophy of science as a non productive entirely parasitic enterprise which supports its practitioners and hopefully does not harm science.”
This list will continue to be updated as more recommendations are received.
For those interested in following The Well-read Naturalist’s Bluesky profile, it is @wellreadnaturalist.bsky.social.