Advances in Experimental Philosophy of Science

This volume gathers together leading philosophers of science and cognitive scientists from around the world to provide one of the first book-length studies of this important and emerging field. Specific topics considered include learning and the nature of scientific knowledge, the cognitive consequences of exposure to explanations, climate change, and mechanistic reasoning and abstraction. Chapters explore how experimental methods can be applied to questions about the nature of science and show how to fruitfully theorize about the nature and role of science with well-grounded empirical research. Advances in Experimental Philosophy of Science presents a new direction in the philosophical exploration of science and paves a path for those who might seek to pursue research in experimental philosophy of science.

1. Introduction, Richard Samuels & Daniel A. WilkenfeldPart I: Explanation and Understanding2. Scientific Understanding and the Human Drive to Explain, Elizabeth Kon & Tania Lombrozo3. The Challenges and Benefits of Mechanistic Explanation in Folk Scientific Understanding, Frank Keil Part II: Theories and Theory Change4. Information That Boosts Normative Global Warming Acceptance Without Polarization: Toward J. S. Mill's Political Ethology of National Character, Michael Ranney, Matthew Shonman, Kyle Fricke, Lee Nevo Lamprey, & Paras Kumar5. Science in Vivo: Addressing Philosophical Questions About Science Through the Psychology of Scientific Thought, Andrew Shtulman6. Intuitive Epistemology: Children's Theory of Evidence, Mark Fedyk, Tamar Kushnir, and Fei XuPart III: Special Sciences7. Applying Experimental Philosophy to Investigate Economic Concepts: Choice, Preference, and Nudge, Michiru Nagatsu8. Scientists' Concepts of Innateness: Evolution or Attraction?, Edouard Machery, Paul Griffiths, Stefan Linquist, & Karola StotzPart IV: General Considerations9. Causal Judgment: What Can Philosophy Learn from Experiment? What Can It Contribute to Experiment?, James WoodwardIndex