Philosophy of Science and the Occult

by Patrick Grim (Editor)

This book both introduces the philosophy of science through examination of the occult and examines the occult rigorously enough to raise central issues in the philosophy of science. Placed in the context of the occult, philosophy of science issues become immediately understandable and forcefully compelling.

Divergent views on astrology, parapsychology, and quantum mechanics mysticism emphasize topics standard to the philosophy of science. Such issues as confirmation and selection for testing, causality and time, explanation and the nature of scientific laws, the status of theoretical entities, the problem of demarcation, theory and observation, and science and values are discussed.

Significantly revised, this second edition presents an entirely new section of quantum mechanics and mysticism including instructions from N. David Mermin for constructing a device which dramatically illustrates the genuinely puzzling phenomena of quantum mechanics. A more complete and current review of research on astrology has been included in this new edition, and the section on the problem of demarcation has been broadened.

402 pages, Paperback

Published July 17, 1990

About the author

Dr. Patrick Grim is Distinguished Teaching Professor of Philosophy at the State University of New York at Stony Brook.

He graduated with highest honors in anthropology and philosophy from the University of California, Santa Cruz. He was named a Fulbright Fellow to the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, from which he earned his B.Phil. He earned his Ph.D. from Boston University.

Professor Grim is the recipient of several honors and awards. In addition to being named SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor, Dr. Grim has been awarded the President and Chancellor’s awards for excellence in teaching and was elected to the Academy of Teachers and Scholars. The Weinberg Distinguished Visiting Professor at the University of Michigan in 2006, Professor Grim has also held visiting fellowships at the Center for Complex Systems at Michigan and at the Center for Philosophy of Science at the University of Pittsburgh.

Professor Grim, author of The Incomplete Universe: Totality, Knowledge, and Truth; coauthor of The Philosophical Computer: Exploratory Essays in Philosophical Computer Modeling; and editor of the forthcoming Mind and Consciousness: 5 Questions, is widely published in scholarly journals. He is the founder and coeditor of 25 volumes of The Philosopher’s Annual, an anthology of the best articles published in philosophy each year.

Reviews

[NormaCenva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating 3.5 Stars

Took me a really long time to read through this one, but it was worthwhile!

[Aaron · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an excellent anthology of articles on the the philosophy of science. The central theme of this book is exploring the definition of "Science" and how to differentiate it from "pseudoscience," and what exactly that means. The tone and format are somewhat different that Arthur Zucker's Introduction to the Philosophy of Science, but the quality of the selections is comparable. I remember that the selections and the tone were polarizing in the college class where I first read this, and I would expect the same from the general public; for example, one of the first selections is "Against Method" by Paul Feyerabend, discussing why science is limited by its dependence on defined methodology. Overall, this book was carefully organized and deserves credit for that alone. I often feel disappointed by science books that are poorly organized or poorly written.

I would not expect everyone to agree with the viewpoints expressed or even enjoy the articles. However, they do serve as a good starting point for conversations on the topic and for testing ideas about science in general. Also, students of philosophy, especially the philosophy of science, should have awareness of the issues and the arguments contained here.