Review of History of Philosophy of Science Books

Valuing value-discussions in science Kevin C. Elliott and Daniel Steel (eds.),  Current Controversies in Values and Science . New York and London: Routledge, 2017. pp. ix + 186. Hardcover ISBN 978-1-138-19328-4.  £130. There are fashions in the history of philosophy of science regarding what are the main concepts that are being used to analyze science and which of the scientific concepts are to be analyzed at all in the first place. In the first half of the twentieth century – at least according to the received view, which, it has to be added, is not entirely far from the truth – these were “verification”, “falsification”, “explanation”, “induction” and many more, often connected to a supposed general methodology and logical side of scientific theories. Questions of values were usually set aside; they became subjects for anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists and historians. As time went on, fashions changed and values turned into respectful research objects...

Background Work on Logical Empiricism: New Volumes on Cohen and Bühler Christian Damböck (ed.),  Philosophie und Wissenschaft bei Hermann Cohen/Philosophy and Science in Hermann Cohen . Veröffentlichungen des Instituts Wiener Kreis, vol. 28. Dordrecht: Springer, 2018, pp. viii + 247. Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-58022-7.  € 87,46. Janette Friedrich (ed.),  Karl Bühlers Krise der Psychologie: Positionen, Bezüge und Kontroversen im Wien der 1920e/30er Jahre . Veröffentlichungen des Instituts Wiener Kreis, vol. 26. Dordrecht: Springer, 2018. pp. x + 204. Hardcover ISBN: 978-3-319-58082-1.  € 87,46 “Cohen and logical empiricism? Is it a meaningful question to ask?” opens Massimo Ferrari (p. 161.) his contribution to Christian Damböck’s recently edited volume on  Philosophie und Wissenschaft bei Hermann Cohen/Philosophy and Science in Hermann Cohen . But we might generalize the issue and raise the question whether a book on Hermann Cohen has any place...