Foss's critique of van Fraassen's constructive empiricism is shown to be completely wide of the mark (Foss 1984, van Fraassen 1980). Foss misunderstands van Fraassen's use of the terms 'observable', 'phenomena', 'empirical adequacy', and 'epistemic community'. He misconstrues constructive empiricism as making knowledge, and perhaps existence, dependent on the observer. On the basis of this error, he attempts to reduce constructive empiricism to skepticism. None of his criticisms are to the point.

Social scientists and philosophers writing in English have used the German word "Verstehen" as a technical term. Some say that Verstehen is distinctive of the social sciences. I examine the three most prominent characterizations of Verstehen: as a method, as a kind of explanation, as a way of validating explanations. Comparison of the theories underlying , and with actual practice in the social sciences show Verstehen to be an ill-defined but promising concept.

Die Analyse eines sozialpsychologischen Gesetzes dient zur Erläuterung gewisser Begriffe wie looseness und Überprüfbarkeit, wie sie auf statistische Quasigesetze anwendbar sind. Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Analyse wird der Standpunkt diskutiert, daß die sozialwissenschaftlichen Gesetze von anderer Art smd als die naturwissenschaftlichen. Die Untersuchung zeigt die Schwierigkeit auf, eine Theorie von der grundsätzlichen Verschiedenheit von Sozial- und Naturwissenschaften auf tatsächlich vorkommende wissenschaftliche Fraeen anzuwenden.

Die Analyse eines sozialpsychologischen Gesetzes dient zur Erläuterung gewisser Begriffe wie looseness und Überprüfbarkeit, wie sie auf statistische Quasigesetze anwendbar sind. Vor dem Hintergrund dieser Analyse wird der Standpunkt diskutiert, daß die sozialwissenschaftlichen Gesetze von anderer Art smd als die naturwissenschaftlichen. Die Untersuchung zeigt die Schwierigkeit auf, eine Theorie von der grundsätzlichen Verschiedenheit von Sozial- und Naturwissenschaften auf tatsächlich vorkommende wissenschaftliche Fraeen anzuwenden.

Can a person suffer radical change and still be the same person? Are there human beings who are not persons at all? Western philosophers, from the ancient Greeks to contemporary thinkers, gave the concept of “person” great importance in their discussions. They saw it as crucial to our understanding of our world and our place in it. Prompted by tragedy — a loved one’s descent into dementia — Warren Bourgeois explored Western philosophical ideas to discover what constitutes a “person.” The (...) first edition of Persons — What Philosophers Say About You was the result of his search. This new second edition focuses on making this material easily available and accessible to students, and has been redesigned as an introduction to the philosophy of mind and its history, concentrating on the central concept of “person” in contemporary controversies concerning abortion, euthanasia, genetic engineering, and human rights. Bourgeois has mined Western philosophy for ideas students can apply today as technology challenges their beliefs about what we are. He then uses the concept of person to unite the various subdivisions of philosophy, applying theories of knowledge, reality and value to help students understand what we believe about ourselves. The result is a living philosophy and an “introductory text with a difference.” While the ideas of the great philosophers cannot be meaningfully summarized in one introductory text, this book provides a comparison of what many of them say about the concept of person, and will encourage students to read further. (shrink)

In this updated second edition, Debating Health Care Ethics explores contemporary moral challenges in health care, providing students with the essential tools to understand and critically evaluate the leading arguments in the field and to develop their own arguments on important moral problems in health care. Written in a clear and concise way, the textbook’s first three chapters explore the nature of arguments and ethical theories, while the remaining chapters introduce students to moral problems in health care through case studies (...) and dramas that feature complex scenarios involving patients, family members, and health care providers. Each case study and drama is followed by a lively debate where the authors defend their unique approaches to the dilemma. This new edition now includes more gender inclusive dramas, an expanded discussion of feminist ethics, a case study on euthanasia that highlights changes to Canadian law, and an update on fetal consciousness that informs the debate on abortion. Emphasizing critical issues in health care from a Canadian perspective, this essential textbook will benefit students in philosophy, nursing, and health studies. (shrink)