British Society for the Philosophy of Science

Home KATHRYN NAVE A DRIVE TO SURVIVE REVIEWED BY Matteo Colombo A Drive to Survive Kathryn Nave Reviewed by Matteo Colombo

 A Drive to Survive: The Free Energy Principle and the Meaning of Life


 ◳

Kathryn Nave Cambridge, MA:  MIT Press, 2025, £57.00 / OA ISBN 9780262551328 / 9780262381673 Cite as: Colombo, M. [2025]: ‘Kathryn Nave’s

 A Drive to Survive

’,

 BJPS Review of Books

,

 2025

,

Kathryn Nave, A Drive to Survive

Aja Watkins and Miguel Ohnesorge review Science on a Mission by Naomi Oreskes

Aja Watkins &#038; Miguel Ohnesorge

Home Science on a Mission Naomi Oreskes Reviewed by Aja Watkins &amp; Miguel Ohnesorge

 Science on a Mission: How Military Funding Shaped What We Do and Don’t Know about the Ocean

Naomi Oreskes Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2021, £32.00 9780226732381 In

 Science on a Mission,

Naomi Oreskes aims to document how US Navy funding shaped research in oceanography from the twentieth century through to the present.

Naomi Oreskes, Science on a Mission

Pierrick Bourrat

Home Inheritance Systems and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis Eva Jablonka &amp; Marion J Lamb Reviewed by Pierrick Bourrat

 Inheritance Systems and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

Eva Jablonka and Marion J Lamb Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2020, £15.00 ISBN 9781108716024 As a student of evolutionary biology, one of the first things I learnt is that there are no strict laws in biology.

Jablonka and Lamb, Inheritance Systems and the Extended Evolutionary Synthesis

Anaïs Rebecca White reviews Power and Influence, by Richard Corry

Anaïs Rebecca White

Next Home Previous Power and Influence Richard Corry Reviewed by Anaïs Rebecca White

 Power and Influence: The Metaphysics of Reductive Explanation

Richard Corry Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, £58.00 ISBN 9780198840718 Reductive explanations in the sciences are as ubiquitous as they are illuminating.

Richard Corry, Power and Influence

Stephen Gaukroger

Next Home Previous The Past, Present, and Future of Integrated History and Philosophy of Science Emily Herring, Kevin Matthew Jones, Konstantin S. Kiprijanov, and Laura M. Sellers Reviewed by Stephen Gaukroger

 The Past, Present, and Future of Integrated History and Philosophy of Science

Emily Herring, Kevin Matthew Jones, Konstantin S. Kiprijanov, and Laura M. Sellers (

 eds

) London: Routledge, 2019, £120 ISBN

Herring et al., The Past, Present, and Future of Integrated History and Philosophy of Science

Matteo Colombo

Next Home Previous What Biological Functions Are and Why They Matter Justin Garson Reviewed by Matteo Colombo

 What Biological Functions Are and Why They Matter

Justin Garson Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019, £75.00 ISBN 9781108472593 Why do zebras have black and white stripes? No, it’s not to amuse the fans of Juventus, an (in)famous Italian football club with a black-and-white-striped home kit.

Justin Garson, What Biological Functions Are and Why They Matter

Kristoffer Willert reviews Brute Facts, edited by Vintiadis &amp;

Kristoffer Willert

Next Home Previous Brute Facts Elly Vintiadis and Constantinos Mekios Reviewed by Kristoffer Willert

 Brute Facts

Elly Vintiadis and Constantinos Mekios (

 ed

.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, £50 ISBN 9780198758600 Say you are waiting for your mom at the cinema, but she doesn’t turn up. You wonder if she’s stuck in traffic. Or if she has mixed up the dates.

Vintiadis &#038; Mekios, Brute Facts

Katherine Furman reviews The Fight against Doubt, by de Melo-Martín &amp;

Katherine Furman

Next Home Previous The Fight against Doubt Inmaculada de Melo-Martín and Kristen Intemann Reviewed by Katherine Furman

 The Fight against Doubt: How to Bridge the Gap between Scientists and the Public

Inmaculada de Melo-Martín and Kristen Intemann New York: Oxford University Press, 2018, £25.99 ISBN 9780190869229 There is increasing concern about public distrust in science as the consequences of this distrust become clear:

de Melo-Martín &#038; Intemann, The Fight against Doubt

Michael Liston reviews Physics Avoidance, by Mark Wilson

Michael Liston

Next Home Previous PHYSICS AVOIDANCE MARK WILSON




Reviewed by Michael Liston

 Physics Avoidance: Essays in Conceptual Strategy

Mark Wilson Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, £60.00 ISBN 9780198803478 This collection of nine free-standing essays offers a fresh perspective on science and language and a fascinating critique of much of contemporary philosophy.

Mark Wilson, Physics Avoidance

Rune Nyrup reviews Theoretical Virtues in Science, by Samuel Schindler

Rune Nyrup

Next Home Previous THEORETICAL VIRTUES IN SCIENCE SAMUEL SCHINDLER




Reviewed by Rune Nyrup

 Theoretical Virtues in Science: Uncovering Reality through Theory

Samuel Schindler Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018, £75.00 ISBN 9781108422260 Is philosophy of science best carried out at a fine-grained level, focusing on the theories and methods of individual sciences?

Samuel Schindler, Theoretical Virtues in Science

Home CHRIS HAUFE FRUITFULNESS REVIEWED BY Samuel Schindler &amp; Patrick M Duerr Fruitfulness Chris Haufe Reviewed by Samuel Schindler &amp; Patrick M Duerr

 Fruitfulness: Science, Metaphor, and the Puzzle of Promise


 ◳

Chris Haufe Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024, £22.99 ISBN 9780197666395 Cite as: Schindler, S. and Duerr, P. M.

Chris Haufe, Fruitfulness

Mazviita Chirimuuta

 THE BRAIN ABSTRACTED

Reviewed by Daniel C Burnston Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home The Brain Abstracted Mazviita Chirimuuta

 Reviewed by Daniel C Burnston


 The Brain Abstracted: Simplification in the History and Philosophy of Neuroscience


 ◳

Mazviita Chirimuuta Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2024, £48.00 ISBN 9780262548045 Cite as:

Mazviita Chirimuuta, The Brain Abstracted

Andrew Buskell reviews Human Success, edited by Hugh Desmond and Grant Ramsey

Andrew Buskell

Home      Human Success  Hugh Desmond &amp;

Hugh Desmond &#038; Grant Ramsey, Human Success

Michael Liston reviews A Plea for Natural Philosophy by Penelope Maddy

Penelope Maddy

 A PLEA FOR NATURAL PHILOSOPHY

Reviewed by Michael Liston Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home A Plea for Natural Philosophy Penelope Maddy

 Reviewed by Michael Liston


 A Plea for Natural Philosophy and Other Essays


 ◳

Penelope Maddy Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £47.99 ISBN 9780197508855 Cite as: Liston, M. [2024]: ‘Penelope Maddy’s

Penelope Maddy, A Plea for Natural Philosophy  //  Reviewed

Philip Gerrans reviews Cognitive Gadgets by Cecelia Heyes

Philip Gerrans

Cecelia Heyes

 COGNITIVE GADGETS

Reviewed by Philip Gerrans Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Cognitive Gadgets Cecelia Heyes Reviewed by Philip Gerrans

 Cognitive Gadgets: The Cultural Evolution of Thinking


 ◳

Cecelia Heyes Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2018, £40.95 ISBN 9780674980150 Cite as: Gerrans, P. [2023]: ‘Cecelia Heyes’s

 Cognitive Gadgets

’,

Cecelia Heyes, Cognitive Gadgets  //  Reviewed

Carrie Figdor reviews Cognitive Ontology, by Muhammad Ali Khalidi

Carrie Figdor

Muhammad Ali Khalidi

 COGNITIVE ONTOLOGY

Reviewed by Carrie Figdor Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Cognitive Ontology Muhammad Ali Khalidi

 Reviewed by Carrie Figdor


 Cognitive Ontology: Taxonomic Practices in the Mind–Brain Sciences


 ◳

Muhammad Ali Khalidi Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2023, £75.00 ISBN 9781009223669 Cite as: Figdor, C. [2023]:

Muhammad Ali Khalidi, Cognitive Ontology

Steven French reviews Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics, edited by Shan Gao

Steven French

Home Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics Shan Gao Reviewed by Steven French

 Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics

Shan Gao (

 ed

.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £64.00 ISBN 9780197501665 For many years any mention of consciousness in the context of quantum physics was generally restricted to those popular accounts that might be found on the ‘New Age’ or ‘Spiritual’ bookshelves.

Shan Gao, Consciousness and Quantum Mechanics

Matthew J. Brown reviews The Pragmatist Challenge, by H. K. Andersen and Sandra D. Mitchell

Matthew J Brown

H K Andersen &amp; Sandra D Mitchell

 THE PRAGMATIST CHALLENGE

Reviewed by Matthew J Brown Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home The Pragmatist Challenge H K Andersen &amp;

Andersen and Mitchell, The Pragmatist Challenge

Kelvin J McQueen reviews A Phenomenological Approach to Quantum Mechanics, by Steven French

Kelvin J McQueen

Steven French

 A PHENOMENOLOGICAL APPROACH TO QUANTUM MECHANICS

Reviewed by Kelvin J McQueen Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home A Phenomenological Approach to Quantum Mechanics Steven French

 Reviewed by Kelvin J McQueen


 A Phenomenological Approach to Quantum Mechanics: Cutting the Chain of Correlations


 ◳

Steven French Oxford: Oxford University Press,

Steven French, A Phenomenological Approach to Quantum Mechanics

Mark Wilson reviews Philosophical Mechanics in the Age of Reason, by Katherine Brading and Marius Stan

Mark Wilson

Katherine Brading &amp; Marius Stan

 PHILOSOPHICAL MECHANICS IN THE AGE OF REASON

Reviewed by Mark Wilson Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Philosophical Mechanics in the Age of Reason Katherine Brading &amp;

Katherine Brading and Marius Stan,  Philosophical Mechanics in the Age of Reason

Sebastian De Haro reviews Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity, by James Read

Sebastian De Haro

James Read

 BACKGROUND INDEPENDENCE IN CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM GRAVITY

Reviewed by Sebastian De Haro Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity James Read

 Reviewed by Sebastian De Haro


 Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity


 ◳

James Read Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, £70.00 ISBN

James Read, Background Independence in Classical and Quantum Gravity

Travis McKenna reviews Humean Laws for Human Agents, edited by Michael Townsen Hicks, Siegfried Jaag and Christian Loew

Travis McKenna

Michael Townsen Hicks, Siegfried Jaag &amp; Christian Loew

 HUMEAN LAWS FOR HUMAN AGENTS

Reviewed by Travis McKenna Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Humean Laws for Human Agents Michael Townsen Hicks, Siegfried Jaag &amp; Christian Loew

 Reviewed by Travis McKenna


 Humean Laws for Human Agents


 ◳

Michael Townsen Hicks, Siegfried Jaag &amp;

Hicks, Jaag, and Loew,  Humean Laws for Human Agents

Richard Pettigrew reviews Optimality Justifications, by Gerhard Schurz

Richard Pettigrew

Gerhard Schurz

 OPTIMALITY JUSTIFICATIONS

Reviewed by Richard Pettigrew Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Optimality Justifications Gerhard Schurz Reviewed by Richard Pettigrew

 Optimality Justifications: New Foundations for Epistemology


 ◳

Gerhard Schurz Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024, £80.00 ISBN 9780198887546 Cite as: Pettigrew, R. [2024]: ‘Gerhard Schurz’s

Gerhard Schurz, Optimality Justifications

Marion Godman reviews Of Maybugs and Men, by Pieter R Adriaens &amp;

Marion Godman

Pieter R Adriaens &amp; Andreas de Block

 OF MAYBUGS AND MEN

Reviewed by Marion Godman Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Of Maybugs and Men Pieter R Adriaens &amp;

Adriaens &#038; de Block, Of Maybugs and Men

Karen Crowther reviews Beyond the Dynamical Universe, by Silberstein et al.

Karen Crowther

Next Home Previous Beyond the Dynamical Universe Michael Silberstein, W. M. Stuckey, and Timothy McDevitt


Reviewed by Karen Crowther

 Beyond the Dynamical Universe: Unifying Block Universe Physics and Time as Experienced

Michael Silberstein, W. M. Stuckey, and Timothy McDevitt Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2018, £55 ISBN 9780198807087 Many of the greatest problems in fundamental physics, cosmology, and

Silberstein et al., Beyond the Dynamical Universe

Naftali Weinberger reviews Conjunctive Explanations, edited by Jonah Schupbach and David Glass

Naftali Weinberger

Jonah N Schupbach and David H Glass

 CONJUNCTIVE EXPLANATIONS

Reviewed by Naftali Weinberger Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Conjunctive Explanations Jonah N Schupbach and David H Glass

 Reviewed by Naftali Weinberger


 Conjunctive Explanations: The Nature, Epistemology, and Psychology of Explanatory Multiplicity


 ◳

Jonah Schupbach and David Glass New

Schupbach and Glass, Conjunctive Explanations

John S Wilkins reviews Biological Essentialism by Michael Devitt

John S. Wilkins

Michael Devitt

 BIOLOGICAL ESSENTIALISM

Reviewed by John S Wilkins Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Biological Essentialism Michael Devitt

 Reviewed by John S Wilkins


 Biological Essentialism


 ◳

Michael Devitt Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, £60.00 ISBN 9780198840282 Cite as: Wilkins, J. S. [2023]: ‘Michael Devitt’s

 Biological

Michael Devitt, Biological Essentialism

Samuel Schindler reviews Speculation: Within and about Science, by Peter Achinstein

Samuel Schindler

Next Home Previous Speculation Peter Achinstein Reviewed by Samuel Schindler

 Speculation: Within and about Science

Peter Achinstein Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, £19.99 ISBN 9780190615055 What is a scientific speculation? What epistemic attitude should one take towards speculation in science? These are two of the central, hitherto little discussed, questions Achinstein seeks to shed light on in his book.

Peter Achinstein, Speculation: Within and about Science

Max Kistler

Next Home Previous Macroscopic Metaphysics Paul Needham Reviewed by Max Kistler

 Macroscopic Metaphysics: Middle-Sized Objects and Longish Processes

Paul Needham Cham: Springer, 2017, £79.99 ISBN 9783319709987 Paul Needham’s book

 Macroscopic Metaphysics

elaborates a systematic metaphysical framework with the aim of analysing, along the lines of Strawson’s ([1959], p. 9; quoted on p. v) ‘descriptive metaphysics’,

Paul Needham, Macroscopic Metaphysics

Valia Allori reviews Philosophy of Physics, by Tim Maudlin

Valia Allori

Next Home Previous Philosophy of Physics Tim Maudlin Reviewed by Valia Allori

 Philosophy of Physics: Quantum Theory

Tim Maudlin Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2019, £22.00 ISBN 9780691183527 This book is an introduction to the foundation of quantum mechanics. As such, this book is perfect: it is the book that my former, physics undergraduate, self would have wanted to read.

Tim Maudlin, Philosophy of Physics

Daniel Molter reviews Individuation, Process, and Scientific Practices, edited by Bueno et al.

Daniel Molter

Next Home Previous Individuation, Process, and Scientific Practices Otávio Bueno, Ruey-Lin Chen, and Melinda Bonnie Fagan Reviewed by Daniel Molter

 Individuation, Process, and Scientific Practices

Otávio Bueno, Ruey-Lin Chen, and Melinda Bonnie Fagan (

 eds

) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2019, £55.00 ISBN 9780190636814 Philosophers tend to approach the question ‘what is an individual?’ with two axiomatic assumptions:

Bueno et al., Individuation, Process, and Scientific Practices //Reviewed

Erin J. Nash reviews The Misinformation Age, by O’Connor &amp;

Erin J. Nash

Next Home Previous THE MISINFORMATION AGE Cailin O’Connor and James Weatherall Reviewed by Erin J. Nash

 The Misinformation Age: How False Beliefs Spread

Cailin O’Connor and James Owen Weatherall New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2019, £18.99 ISBN 9780300234015 The presence and persistence of misinformation and false beliefs about scientific issues within my social networks was actually what led me to philosophy.

O’Connor &#038; Weatherall, The Misinformation Age

Teru Miyake reviews Rock, Bone, and Ruin, by Adrian Currie

Teru Miyake

Next Home Previous ROCK, BONE, AND RUIN ADRIAN CURRIE


Reviewed by Teru Miyake

 Rock, Bone, and Ruin: An Optimist’s Guide to the Historical Sciences

Adrian Currie Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2018, £27.00 ISBN 9780262037266 The historical sciences appear to present a challenge for mainstream views about the epistemology of science, which have largely been developed with the physical sciences in mind.

Adrian Currie, Rock, Bone, and Ruin

Chris Kapulkin and Nicholas Teh review Categories for the Working Philosopher, by Elaine Landry

Chris Kapulkin and Nicholas Teh

Next Home Previous Categories for the Working Philosopher Elaine Landry




Reviewed by Chris Kapulkin and Nicholas Teh

 
 Categories for the Working Philosopher
 

Elaine Landry (

 ed

.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, £75.00 ISBN 9780198748991 The publication of Saunders Mac Lane’s ([1971])

 Categories for the Working Mathematician

(CWM) was a signal

Elaine Landry, Categories for the Working Philosopher

Rosenberg and Glymour review Actual Causality, by Joseph Y. Halpern

BJPS Book Reviewers

Next Home Previous Actual Causality Joseph Y. Halpern




Reviewed by Ian Rosenberg and Clark Glymour

 Actual Causality

Joseph Y. Halpern Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2016, £40 ISBN 9780262035026

 
 1 Introduction
 

Theories of ‘actual causation’ aim to provide an informative guide for assessing which events cause which others in circumstances where almost

Joseph Y. Halpern, Actual Causality

Michela Massimi

Next Home Previous Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered Stéphanie Ruphy




Reviewed by Michela Massimi

 Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered: A New Approach to the (Dis)unity of Science

Stéphanie Ruphy Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Press, 2016, £42.50 ISBN 9780822944584 Scientific pluralism is a timely and important topic in contemporary philosophy of science.

Stéphanie Ruphy, &#8216;Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered&#8217;

Sorin Bangu reviews Because without Cause, by Marc Lange

Sorin Bangu

Next Home Previous Because without Cause Marc Lange




Reviewed by Sorin Bangu

 Because without Cause: Non-causal Explanations in Science and Mathematics

Marc Lange Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2017, £56.00 ISBN 9780190269487 If years ago Wesley Salmon tried to put ‘cause’ back into the ‘because’ (of explanation), in this book Marc Lange aims to take it out.

 [1]

More precisely, he

Marc Lange, &#8216;Because without Cause&#8217;

Kevin Davey reviews The Art of Abduction, by Igor Douven

Kevin Davey

Home The Art of Abduction Igor Douven Reviewed by Kevin Davey

 The Art of Abduction

Igor Douven Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2022, £41.97 ISBN 9780262046701 Igor Douven’s most recent book,

 The Art of Abduction

, summarizes much of the author’s research on the topic of abduction that he has conducted over the last several decades, as well as gesturing at intriguing ways it may be developed in the future.

Igor Douven, The Art of Abduction

Calvin Warner reviews A Better Ape, by Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell

Calvin Warner

Home A Better Ape Victor Kumar &amp; Richmond Campbell Reviewed by Calvin Warner

 A Better Ape: The Evolution of the Moral Mind and How It Made Us Human

Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £19.99 ISBN 9780197600122

 Introduction

The theory of evolution by natural selection is likely the most revolutionary idea in the history of science.

Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell, A Better Ape

Jiji Zhang reviews A Logical Theory of Causality, by Alexander Bochman

Jiji Zhang

Home A Logical Theory of Causality Alexander Bochman Reviewed by Jiji Zhang

 A Logical Theory of Causality

Alexander Bochman Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2021, £48.00 ISBN 9780262045322 This is a rich and illuminating book by a seasoned researcher in the field of artificial intelligence.

Alexander Bochman, A Logical Theory of Causality

Caspar Jacobs reviews Physics, Structure, and Reality, by Jill North

Caspar Jacobs

Home Physics, Structure, and Reality Jill North Reviewed by Caspar Jacobs

 Physics, Structure, and Reality

Jill North Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021, £65.00 ISBN 9780192894106 Of the three words that make up the title of Jill North’s book—physics, structure, and reality—the middle one is the most important.

Jill North, Physics, Structure, and Reality

Gabe Dupre reviews Representation of Language, by Georges Rey

Gabe Dupre

Home Representation of Language Georges Rey Reviewed by Gabe Dupre

 Representation of Language: Philosophical Issues in a Chomskyan Linguistics

Georges Rey Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020, £65 ISBN 9780198855637 Analytic philosophy’s relationship with generative linguistics has been highly variable.

Georges Rey, Representation of Language

Vera Hoffmann-Kolss reviews Alternative Approaches to Causation, edited by Yafeng Shan

Vera Hoffmann-Kolss

Yafeng Shan

 ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES TO CAUSATION

Reviewed by Vera Hoffmann-Kolss Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Alternative Approaches to Causation Yafeng Shan

 Reviewed by Vera Hoffmann-Kolss


 Alternative Approaches to Causation: Beyond Difference-Making and Mechanism


 ◳

Yafeng Shan (

 ed

.) Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024, £80.00 ISBN

Yafeng Shan, Alternative Approaches to Causation

José Díez reviews Modelling Nature, by Roman Frigg and James Nguyen

José Díez

Home Modelling Nature Roman Frigg and James Nguyen Reviewed by José Díez

 Modelling Nature: An Opinionated Introduction to Scientific Representation

Roman Frigg and James Nguyen Cham: Springer, 2020, £79.99 / £59.99 ISBN 9783030451523 / 9783030451554 Roman Frigg and James Nguyen’s

 Modelling Nature

is a comprehensive, critical review of the latest developments in the modelling literature.

Frigg and Nguyen, Modelling Nature

Matteo Colombo reviews Neurocognitive Mechanisms by Gualtiero Piccinini

Home Neurocognitive Mechanisms Gualtiero Piccinini Reviewed by Matteo Colombo

 Neurocognitive Mechanisms

:

 Explaining Biological Cognition

Gualtiero Piccinini Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020, £80.00 ISBN 9780198866282 Gualtiero Piccinini’s

 Neurocognitive Mechanisms

clarifies and addresses several foundational questions in the cognitive sciences, including: How does a multi-level mechanism like the brain

Gualtiero Piccinini, Neurocognitive Mechanisms

David Kinney

Home Previous What Is a Complex System? James Ladyman and Karoline Wiesner Reviewed by David Kinney

 What Is a Complex System?

James Ladyman and Karoline Wiesner New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2020, £25.00 ISBN 9780300251104 In 1984, a group of renowned scientists from a variety of disciplines, many associated with the Los Alamos National Laboratory, convened a series of meetings in Santa Fe, USA.

What Is a Complex System? Ladyman and Wiesner

Robert Hudson

Next Home Previous Values in Psychological Science Lisa M. Osbeck Reviewed by Robert Hudson

 Values in Psychological Science: Re-imagining Epistemic Priorities at a New Frontier

Lisa M. Osbeck Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2019, £80 / £19.99 ISBN 9781107134904 / 9781316500972 In

 Values in Psychological Science: Re-imagining Epistemic Priorities at a New Frontier

, Lisa Osbeck believes we live ‘in an era

Lisa M. Osbeck, Values in Psychological Science

David L Barack

Home      The Tools of Neuroscience Experiment  John Bickle, Carl F Craver &amp;

Bickle et al, The Tools of Neuroscience Experiment

Jonathan Birch

Next Home Previous A Natural History of Human Morality Michael Tomasello




Reviewed by Jonathan Birch

 
 A Natural History of Human Morality
 

Michael Tomasello Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2016, £27.95 (hardback) ISBN 9780674088641 Working together creates mutual obligations.

Michael Tomasello&#8217;s A Natural History of Human Morality

Baptiste Le Bihan reviews The Nature of Contingency, by Alastair Wilson

Baptiste Le Bihan

Home Previous The Nature of Contingency Alastair Wilson Reviewed by Baptiste Le Bihan

 The Nature of Contingency: Quantum Physics as Modal Realism

Alastair Wilson Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020, £50.00 ISBN 9780198846215 In

 The Nature of Contingency: Quantum Physics as Modal Realism

, Alastair Wilson introduces and defends quantum modal realism.

Alastair Wilson, The Nature of Contingency

William Peden reviews The Material Theory of Induction, by John D Norton

William Peden

Home The Material Theory of Induction John D Norton Reviewed by William Peden

 The Material Theory of Induction

John D Norton Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2021, £119.99/OA ISBN 9781773852751 Even prior to its publication, John Norton’s book has stimulated debates about induction. Its publication will galvanize these discussions. Does it merit all this attention? Yes, and not just from philosophers of science.

John D Norton, The Material Theory of Induction

Jo Wolff reviews Naturalism beyond the Limits of Science, by Nina Emery

Jo Wolff

Nina Emery

 NATURALISM BEYOND THE LIMITS OF SCIENCE

Reviewed by Jo Wolff Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home Naturalism beyond the Limits of Science Nina Emery Reviewed by Jo Wolff

 Naturalism beyond the Limits of Science: How Scientific Methodology Can and Should Shape Philosophical Theorizing


 ◳

Nina Emery New York: Oxford University Press, 2023, £54.00 ISBN

Nina Emery, Naturalism beyond the Limits of Science

Ian Phillips and Simon Brown review In Consciousness We Trust, by Hakwan Lau

Ian Phillips and Simon Brown

Home In Consciousness We Trust Hakwan Lau Reviewed by Ian Phillips and Simon A B Brown

 In Consciousness We Trust: The Cognitive Neuroscience of Subjective Experience

Hakwan Lau Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2022, £24.99 ISBN 9780198856771 Hakwan Lau is well known as a unique and forceful voice in the science of consciousness.

Hakwan Lau, In Consciousness We Trust

Robert Hudson reviews The AI Mirror, by Shannon Vallor

Shannon Vallor

 THE AI MIRROR

Reviewed by Robert Hudson Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on RedditShare by Mail Home The AI Mirror Shannon Vallor

 Reviewed by Robert Hudson


 The AI Mirror: How to Reclaim Our Humanity in an Age of Machine Thinking


 ◳

Shannon Vallor Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2024, £22.99 ISBN 9780197759066 Cite as: Hudson, R. [2025]: ‘Shannon Vallor’s

Shannon Vallor, The AI Mirror

Max Bautista Perpinyà and Charles H Pence review Catastrophic Thinking, by David Sepkoski

Perpinyà &#038; Pence

Home Catastrophic Thinking David Sepkoski Reviewed by Max Bautista Perpinyà &amp; Charles H Pence

 Catastrophic Thinking: Extinction and the Value of Diversity from Darwin to the Anthropocene

David Sepkoski Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 2020, £28.00 ISBN 9780226348612

 Catastrophic Thinking

is a story about how ideas about extinction motivate considerations about biodiversity.

BJPS Review Of Books

Alexander Bird, Knowing Science

Naomi Oreskes, Science on a Mission

Anneli Jefferson, Are Mental Disorders Brain Disorders?

David Sepkoski, Catastrophic Thinking

Ramsey and Block, The Dynamics of Science

Oron Shagrir, The Nature of Physical Computation

Igor Douven, The Art of Abduction

Robert Batterman, A Middle Way

Bickle et al, The Tools of Neuroscience Experiment

Victor Kumar and Richmond Campbell, A Better Ape

Justin Garson, Madness