Scientonomy: The Challenges of Constructing a Theory of Scientific Change

Edited by Hakob Barseghyan, University of Toronto et al.

December 2021 / ISBN: 978-1-64889-295-0
Availability: In stock
281pp. ¦ $84 £65 €72

During the so-called ‘historical turn’ in the philosophy of science, philosophers and historians boldly argued for general patterns throughout the history of science. From Kuhn’s landmark "Structure of Scientific Revolutions" until the "Scrutinizing Science" project led by Larry Laudan, there was optimism that there could be a general theoretical approach to understanding the process of scientific change. This optimism gradually faded as historians and philosophers began to focus on the details of specific case studies located within idiosyncratic historical, cultural, and political contexts, and abandoned attempts to uncover general patterns of how scientific theories and methods change through time. Recent research has suggested that while we have learned a great deal about the diversity and complexity of scientific practices across history, the push to abandon hope for a broader understanding of scientific change was premature. Because of this, philosophers, historians, and social scientists have become interested in reviving the project of understanding the mechanism of scientific change while respecting the diversity and complexity that has been unveiled by careful historical research over the past few decades. The chapters in this volume consider a particular proposal for a general theory of how scientific theories and methods change over time, first articulated by Hakob Barseghyan in "The Laws of Scientific Change" and since developed in a series of papers by a variety of members of the scientonomy community. The chapters consider a wide range of issues, from conceptual and historical challenges to the posited intellectual patterns in the history of science, to the possibility of constructing a general theory of scientific change, to begin with. Offering a new take on the project of constructing a theory of scientific change and integrating historical, philosophical, and social studies of science, this volume will be of interest to historians, philosophers, and sociologists of science.

Del salvaje siglo XIX al inestable siglo XX en las letras transatlánticas: Una mirada retrospectiva a través de hispanistas

Edited by Ana Isabel Simón Alegre, Adelphi University

August 2021 / ISBN: 978-1-64889-174-8
Availability: In stock
316pp. ¦ $87 £67 €74

El propósito del libro 'Del salvaje siglo XIX al inestable siglo XX en las letras transatlánticas: una mirada retrospectiva a través de hispanistas' es presentar un trabajo de enfoque multidisciplinar dividido en torno a tres ejes temáticos. El nexo de unión de los dieciséis capítulos que componen este libro es que todos ellos cuentan con un aparato crítico y metodológico vinculado a los estudios transatlánticos o al hispanismo. La primera sección presenta las rutas fluidas existentes entre ambas orillas del Atlántico, que facilitaron el movimiento de personas y el intercambio de conocimientos desde el siglo XIX y que todavía, a principios del siglo XXI, continúan activas. Todos ellos miraban lo que estaba más allá del horizonte como una respuesta a algún tipo de inquietud. En definitiva, lo que une a estos viajes es que conectaron los diferentes mundos de las humanidades y de las ciencias de ambas orillas de la larga costa atlántica. Además, enriquecieron la disciplina del hispanismo a través de las metas específicas por las que cada desplazamiento se puso en marcha. Los dos apartados siguientes incluyen investigaciones centradas en su siglo correspondiente, que recogen aproximaciones novedosas gracias al diálogo entablado con trabajos de referencia dentro del hispanismo y los estudios transatlánticos. De este modo, la sección centrada en el “salvaje siglo XIX”, recoge ensayos que ligan la crítica literaria con el ecofeminismo, otros que presentan una cartografía de las emociones y de las ideas sexuales a través de una lectura crítica de la ficción y el análisis de la imagen ligada al desarrollo de empresas literarias femeninas. Por su parte, la sección dedicada al “inestable siglo XX” llega con sus investigaciones incluso hasta la actualidad, bien porque recoge películas y figuras presentes en el discurso fílmico reciente, bien porque presenta a personas que, nacidas ya en el siglo XX, a día de hoy están activas en el mundo literario-cultural a ambos lados del Atlántico. La combinación de estos tres ejes ofrece en este libro una aproximación novedosa dentro de la disciplina del hispanismo y de los estudios transatlánticos. Este libro, pues, se ofrece como una herramienta útil para continuar reflexionando acerca de cómo las rutas transatlánticas del conocimiento continúan alimentando el desarrollo de las humanidades en aras de una comunidad que supera cualquier tipo de frontera. Por último, esta obra pretende constituirse como material pedagógico a través de su apoyo a ideas como la justicia social, el activismo o el intercambio de conocimiento como parte fundamental en las conexiones entre la amplia comunidad de personas hispanohablantes y los centros de producción intelectual y cultural a lo largo de las amplias costas atlánticas.

Film, Philosophy and Religion

Edited by William H. U. Anderson, Concordia University of Edmonton in Alberta

August 2021 / ISBN: 978-1-64889-292-9
Availability: In stock
454pp. ¦ $91 £71 €78

Hollywood is a $40 billion annual business, one that is highly influential in culture. If we want to know who we are as individuals and a society, what we believe and what we value, we need to know and understand Hollywood and film. Make no mistake, Hollywood is neither philosophically, politically, nor morally neutral! Many studies demonstrate how movies “affect” us long before we have thought it through. In other words, Hollywood “smuggles” all kinds of ideas into our minds and hearts without us even knowing it. While Hollywood may be the biggest and most influential in the world, this book will demonstrate the growing international influence of film from India (Bollywood), Nigeria (Nollywood), Zimbabwe (Zollywood) and Yesilçam (Turkey). 'Film, Philosophy and Religion' explicitly and implicitly takes a philosophical approach to analyzing film theoretically and methodologically. There are topic and film-specific chapters that take a theological approach, and others that explore ideas like Affect, Axiology, Art Reflecting the Artist and Transcendence (Spirituality) of Film. Hermeneutics also have a central role in the book, including films based on biblical texts that act as interpretations of these texts and fill in the blanks (albeit speculatively by way of script and directors). Chapters also explore the philosophy of aesthetics and film realism which end with theology, while other chapters explore the incompatibility of science with religion, as well as a chapter on the timely topic of rape in Turkish film. The book’s scope goes from the “Horror of Evil in Ridley Scott’s Alien Universe” to “Love Can Thaw a Frozen Heart: The Philosophy of Love in the Frozen Films” (Disney Princess Narratives). This book represents international films and scholars. The diverse perspectives from theist to atheist—and everything in-between—are sure to spark thinking and generate talking points that provide something for everyone in an accessible format. It will be of great interest to university students and professors, scholars, seminaries, and the general public.

A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Indian Christian Names: The Case of Telugu Catholics and Syrian Christians

Smita Joseph, The English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad, India

July 2021 / ISBN: 978-1-64889-280-6
Availability: Withdrawn
189pp. ¦ $46 £34 €38

This book gives a sociolinguistic account of Syrian Christian and Telugu Catholic personal names. Unlike previous works on the linguistic or sociolinguistic analysis of the personal names of Indian Christians, which have mainly used a reflexive approach to analyse names, this book takes a constitutive approach by analysing the personal names of two Indian Christian communities (Telugu Catholics and Syrian Christians) from the perspective of community members. This novel approach provides greater insights into individuals’ motivations for naming and how names are used to create social identities. 'A Sociolinguistic Analysis of Indian Christian Names: The Case of Telugu Catholics and Syrian Christians' also provides a historical background of how names have evolved in these communities and explores the adaptation strategies used by Indian Christians through the act of naming (e.g., appending caste titles to Christian names, the use of Sanskrit personal names and Christian surnames) as well as the role of culture in naming (e.g., the use of other names, the role of caste titles in indicating one’s identity). This book paves the way for more qualitative studies to arise in the analysis of first names and will be valuable to graduate students and academics in the fields of onomastics, linguistics, religious studies, and history. It will also appeal to those interested in Indian Christianity in general.

Science and Liberty: Patient Confidence in the Ultimate Justice of the People

John L. Cordani Jr., Cornell University

July 2021 / ISBN: 978-1-64889-279-0
Availability: In stock
172pp. ¦ $64 £51 €59

One of the most debated topics in law and politics is the role that science should play in setting policy. What does it mean to demand that politicians and the People themselves “follow the science” if science deals with questions of fact, not matters of moral or political values? This long-standing controversy has roots ranging from Plato’s philosopher-kings to Enlightenment skepticism to modern progressivism and the rise of the administrative state. ‘Science and Liberty’ explores the idea that a constitutional republic provides a fitting role for science while preserving the People’s liberty and right to self-government. It examines this topic from five perspectives: American, Historical, Philosophical, Scientific, and Moral. Providing direct access to primary historical sources, ‘Science and Liberty’ contends that America’s founders designed a constitution that was predicated on the Enlightenment theory that liberty precedes government and that presupposed the engagement of the People and their representatives at all levels of free debate. Early twentieth-century progressivism was openly hostile to these founding principles in its desire for efficient rule by scientific administrators. However, it is impossible to philosophically ground political and moral values in the findings of science, despite what modern theorists claim. Ultimately, the injunction to “follow the science” demands to substitute the values of “experts” for the values of the People themselves. By illustrating numerous examples from the hard and social sciences, ranging from physics to Biblical criticism to climate science, this book also explains that the People have a role to play in reasonably engaging with and critiquing modern science. ‘Science and Liberty’ will appeal to those interested in a variety of subjects, including law, politics, philosophy, and intellectual history, as well as scientific criticism, particularly from an American perspective. It is written to be accessible for all ages while also engaging with complex issues and sources relevant for those with advanced degrees.