History and Philosophy of Science - University of Pittsburgh Press

2011 • 376 pp.
978-0-8229-6151-2 • Paper • $27.95
ITEM NO. 503 • SALE PRICE $22.36
eBook available
HISTORY OF SCIENCE
Styles of Knowing
A New History of Science from
Ancient Times to the Present
CHunGlIn KWA
“[A] very readable account of the history of scientific
knowledge, it deserves a much wider audience
than those who are able to understand the Dutch
language.”
—Isis, review of the original Dutch edition
“Kwa has written not only a fine introduction to the
history of science from antiquity to the twenty-first
century, but he has used the concept of ‘style’ to illuminate
various modes of scientific rationality and
current threats to freedom of inquiry. A most impressive
achievement.”
—Harold J. Cook, Brown University
Now available in english, Styles of Knowing explores the development of various scientific
reasoning processes in cultural-historical context. Influenced by historian Alistair
Crombie’s Styles of Scientific Thinking in the European Tradition, Chunglin
Kwa organizes his book according to six distinct styles: deductive, experimental, analyticalhypothetical,
taxonomic, statistical, and evolutionary. Instead of featuring individual scientific
disciplines in different chapters, each chapter explains the historical applications of each
style’s unique criterion for good science. Kwa shows also how styles have influenced each
other and transformed over time. In a chapter written especially for American audiences, Kwa
examines how changes in engineering and technology during the twentieth century affected
the balance among the various styles of science.
based on extensive research in Greek and latin primary sources and numerous modern
secondary sources, Kwa demonstrates the heterogeneous nature of scientific discovery. this
accessible and innovative introduction to scientific change provides a foundational history for
the classroom, historians, and nonspecialists.
UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH PRESS • History and Philosophy of Science 5