Product Description

A fascinating study of the bounds between science and language; knowledge and truth. Jody Azzouni explores how the language of science transforms our fragmented investigations of the world into a unitary and seamless discourse.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3667316 in Books
• Published on: 2000-04-20
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Review
'This work is like a breath of fresh air. It is a very original, cogently argued study of the differences between what we do and what we say, as that difference bears on crucial isues in the philosophy of science, mathematics, language, as well as epistemology and metaphysics. The unity of view that is achieved across these philosophical areas is truly impressive.' - Arnold Koslow, CUNY

From the Back Cover
Knowledge and Reference in Empirical Science is a fascinating study of the bounds between science and language: in what sense, and of what, does science provide knowledge? Is it to be taken literally? Is science an instrument only distantly related to whats real? Can the language of science be used to adequately describe the truth?
Jody Azzouni approaches these questions through a compelling analysis of the reference of kind terms. The book begins by investigating the technology of science - the actual forging and exploiting of causal links, between us and what we endeavor to refer to and know about. It shows how this technology allows for knowledge-gathering, why scientific lore must be regarded as true and in what ways instrumental access to our universe is anchored in observation. The second part of the book studies the language of science and shows how this flexible tool enables us to transform our fragmented investigations of the world into a unitary and seamless discourse. Azzouni propos