The Modeling of Nature: Philosophy of Science and Philosophy of Nature in Synthesis
As the new millennium approaches, our scientific knowledge of  the universe surpasses that of any previous age. Yet, paradoxically,  the philosophy of science movement is now in disarray. The collapse of  logical empiricism and the rise of historicism and social  constructivism have effectively left all of the sciences without an  epistemology. The claims of realism have become increasingly difficult  to justify, and, for many, the only alternatives are probabilism,  pragmatism, and relativism. But the case is not hopeless. According to  William A.Wallace, a return to a realist concept of nature is plausible  and, indeed, much needed. Human beings have a natural ability to  understand the world in which they live. They can transcend the  limitations of sense and spontaneously grasp the natures of things.  Many have suggested this understanding requires advanced logic and  mathematics. Wallace believes that nature can more readily be  understood with the aid of simple modeling techniques. Through an  ingenious use of iconic and epistemic models, Wallace guides the reader  through the fundamentals of natural philosophy, explaining how the  universe is populated with entities endowed with different  natures--inorganic, plant, animal, and human. Much of this knowledge is  intuitive, already in people's minds from experience, education, and  exposure to the media. Wallace builds on this foundation, making  judicious use of cognitive science to provide a model of the human mind  that illuminates not only the philosophy of nature but also the logic,  psychology, and epistemology that are prerequisite to it. With this  background, Wallace sketches a history of the philosophy of science and  how it has functioned traditionally as a type of probable reasoning.  His concern is to go beyond probability and lay bare the epistemic  dimension of science to show how it can arrive at truth and certitude  in the various areas it investigates. He completes his study with eight  case studies of certified scientific growth, the controversies to which  they gave rise, and the methods by which they ultimately were resolved.  The Modeling of Nature provides an excellent introduction to the  fundamentals of natural philosophy, psychology, logic, and  epistemology.William A. Wallace has taught philosophy of science  at the University of Maryland for the past eight years, and, before  that, twenty-five years at The Catholic University of America, where he  also taught history of science. In addition to doctorates in philosophy  and theology, he holds degrees in physics and electrical engineering.  He served with distinction as a naval officer during World War II,  following which he entered the Dominican Order, being ordained a priest  in 1953. He is the author of sixteen books and more than three hundred  scholarly articles.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.