General Philosophy : Epistemology and Philosophy of Science

Epistemology concerns the nature and scope of knowledge. What does it mean to "know" something? What sorts of things can be known, or indeed, is there even an external world to know anything about? What is the difference between knowledge and belief? What is nature of perception, and what is the relationship between the observer and the observed, the knower and the known? What are memories? Is there knowledge that is inherent as opposed to knowledge that is learned? What are the limits of knowledge?

Sample Subject Headings and Searches (Use as a starting point for research)

• Epistemology
• Knowledge, Theory of (the way librarians most often refer to "epistemology.")
• Metaphysics
• Ontology (what is a thing in the world?)
• Reality
• Science--Philosophy
• Self Knowledge, Theory of

One Nifty Web Resource (Social Epistemology)

Social Epistemology Review and Reply Collective
Encourages dialogue on published articles, and serves as an independent platform for scholarship, commentary and judgment on issues related to knowledge, culture, and policy. Disciplinary backgrounds of members range range from business administration, philosophy, sociology, history, and literature to science and technology studies, biology and psychology.

Selected Introductions and Reference Sources for Epistemology

The Blackwell Guide to Epistemology
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 B465 1999

A Companion to Epistemology
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 C637 1992
Also Memorial Library Reference Stacks (2 South)
Non-Circulating

Contemporary Debates in Epistemology
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 C6545 2014

Critical Introduction to Skepticism
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD201 H39 2014

Epistemology: A Contemporary Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge (Robert Audi, 2nd ed., Routledge, 2003)
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 R477 2003

Epistemology: An Anthology
College Library Main Collection (1st Floor West, Room 1191)
BD161 E615 2008

Epistemology: An Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 R477 2003

Epistemology: Classic Problems and Contemporary Responses
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 B585 2002

Epistemology: Contemporary Readings
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 E67 2002

Epistemology of Perception
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
B828.45 E65 2011

Handbook of Epistemology
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 H266 2004

Introduction to the Theory of Knowledge
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 L375 2007

Knowledge
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 E83 2012

The Oxford Handbook of Epistemology
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 O96 2002

Philosophical Skepticism
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
B837 P45 2003

The Theory of Knowledge: A Thematic Introduction
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
BD161 M8485 1998

Philosophy of Science, while usually considered a subfield of epistemology, is complex and covers a lot of ground. Basic questions involve what counts as science, the reliability of scientific theories, the nature of scientific laws, and the purpose of science, with specific concerns ranging from the nature of time to conceptual issues in evolutionary biology, the relationship between science and truth, and ethical issues in all branches of science. While philosophy of science can be specific within each branch of science, it can also seek to find connections between them.

Some resources for the philosophy of science are to be found in the Research Guide for History of Science, by Robin Rider.

Sample Subject Headings and Searches

• Philosophy and Science
• Science -- Philosophy
• Feminism and Science

Two Nifty Web Resources

Phil-Sci Archive
Provides access to pre-prints (articles released online prior to publication in journals) about the philosophy of science.

Max Planck Institute for the History of Science / Preprints
The results of ongoing research projects; many of these papers can be seen later in journals or edited volumes

Selected Introductions and Reference Sources for Philosophy of Science

Blackwell Guide to the Philosophy of Science
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
Q175 B533 2002

Cambridge Companion to the Philosophy of Biology (2008 available online)
Physical copy, 2007, available at Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
QH331 C286 2007 

Companion to the Philosophy of Biology  (Available through Wiley Online Library)

Companion to the Philosophy of Science
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
Q175.3 C65 2000

Contemporary Debates in the Philosophy of Science
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
Q175 C6917 2004

Dictionary of Concepts in the Philosophy of Science
Memorial Library Reference Stacks (2 South)
Q174.7 D87 1988
Non-Circulating

International Studies in the Philosophy of Science (Available online from 1997 on)
Print issues from 1986 to 2009: Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving, AP I616 S93223

The Philosophy of Science: An Encyclopedia
Memorial Library Reference Stacks (2 South)
Q174.7 P55 2006
Non-Circulating

Philosophy of Science: The Key Thinkers
Memorial Library Stacks Regular Size Shelving
Q175 P51295 2012

Phil-Sci Archive
Provides access to pre-prints (articles released online prior to publication in journals) about the philosophy of science.