Natural Kinds and Conceptual Change
(Part of the Cambridge Studies in Philosophy and Biology Series)
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Book Overview
According to the received tradition, the language used to to refer to natural kinds in scientific discourse remains stable even as theories about these kinds are refined. In this illuminating book, Joseph LaPorte argues that scientists do not discover that sentences about natural kinds, like 'Whales are mammals, not fish', are true rather than false. Instead, scientists find that these sentences were vague in the language of earlier speakers and they refine the meanings of the relevant natural-kind terms to make the sentences true. Hence, scientists change the meaning of these terms, This conclusions prompts LaPorte to examine the consequences of this change in meaning for the issue of incommensurability and for the progress of science. This book will appeal to students and professional in the philosophy of science, the philosophy of biology and the philosophy of language.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0521108101
ISBN13:9780521108102
Release Date:June 2009
Publisher:Cambridge University Press
Length:232 Pages
Weight:0.76 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 6.0" x 9.0"
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