Abstract

Explores in some depth the relationship between physics and philosophy of science. Here the author exposes misconceptions regarding philosophy of science that seem to pervade the attitudes of many physicists. He tries to show that philosophy of science is not the pointless enterprise that one famous physicist, Steven Weinberg, takes it to be. He discusses the anthropic principle, explanations of generalizations, explanatory asymmetry, and the possibility of a final theory. Because his argument depends crucially on explanation in physics, this essay is a fitting conclusion for the entire set of essays in this book.