Thagard, P. (1992). Conceptual revolutions. Princeton: Princeton University Press.[buy book]
Table of Contents
List of Figures
List of Tables
Acknowledgments
Ch. 1. The Problem of Revolutionary Conceptual Change
1.1. The importance of conceptual change
1.2. Are there scientific revolutions?
1.3. Theses on conceptual revolutions
1.4. Overview
1.5. Summary
1.6. Appendix: Chronology of revolutions
Ch. 2. Concepts and Conceptual Systems
2.1. Philosophical theories of concepts
2.2. Belief revision versus conceptual change
2.3. What are concepts for?
2.4. What are concepts?
2.5. Concepts as complex structures
2.6. Conceptual hierarchies
2.7. Summary
Ch. 3. Conceptual Change
3.1. Degrees of conceptual change
3.2. The chemical revolution
3.2.1. Stahl's phlogiston theory
3.2.2. Lavoisier, 1772
3.2.3. Lavoisier, 1774
3.2.4. Lavoisier, 1777
3.2.5. Lavoisier's mature theory: the 1780s
3.3. Toward a theory of conceptual change
3.4. Development of conceptual systems by discovery
3.4.1. Conceptual combination
3.4.2. Generalization and abduction
3.4.3. Special heuristics
3.5. Replacement by discovery
3.6. Development and replacement by instruction
3.7. Summary
Ch. 4. Explanatory Coherence
4.1. A theory of explanatory coherence
4.1.1. Coherence
4.1.2. Principles of explanatory coherence
4.1.3. Discussion of the principles
4.2. ECHO, a computational model of theory evaluation
4.2.1. Connectionist models
4.2.2. ECHO, the program
4.2.3. Explanatory breadth
4.2.4. Being explained
4.2.5. Refutation
4.2.6. Unification
4.2.7. Simplicity
4.2.8. Analogy
4.2.9. Evidence and acceptability
4.2.10. Parameters
4.3. Application of ECHO to the chemical revolution
4.4. Objections and replies
4.5. Summary
4.6. Appendix: Technical details of ECHO
4.6.1. Algorithms
4.6.2. Sensitivity
Ch. 5. Theory Dynamics, Rationality, and Explanation
5.1. Dynamic relations of theories
5.1.1. Theory replacement
5.1.2. The relation between the oxygen and
phlogiston theories
5.2. Impediments to rationality
5.2.1. Conversion and motivated inference
5.2.2. Sociological explanations
5.2.3. Translation
5.3. Philosophical and computational models of
explanation
5.3.1. Strands of explanation
5.3.2. Toward an integrated cognitive model of
explanation
5.4. Summary
Ch. 6. The Darwinian Revolution
6.1. The development of Darwin's theory
6.2. Conceptual change in evolutionary theory
6.2.1. Addition and deletion of concepts
6.2.2. New kind-relations
6.2.3. Hierarchy reinterpretation
6.3. The explanatory coherence of Darwin's theory
6.3.1. Darwin versus the creation hypothesis
6.3.2. ECHO analysis of Darwin
6.3.3. Relation of Darwin's theory to its
predecessor
6.3.4. Other interpretations of Darwin's
argument
6.3.5. The reception of Darwin's argument
6.4. Other revolutions in biology?
6.5. Conceptual evolution?
6.6. Summary
Ch. 7. The Geological Revolution
7.1. The conceptual development of plate tectonics
7.1.1. Historical sketch
7.1.2. The discovery of continental drift
7.2. Changes in conceptual structure
7.2.1. Hierarchy transformation
7.2.2. Wegener's concepts
7.2.3. Concepts of Wegener's opponents
7.2.4. Concepts of Hess and plate tectonics
7.3. Evaluating theories of continental drift and plate
tectonics
7.3.1. The coherence of continental drift
7.3.2. The rejection of continental drift
7.3.3. The acceptance of plate tectonics
7.4. Summary
7.5. Appendix
Ch. 8. Revolutions in Physics
8.1. Copernicus
8.1.1. Aristotle
8.1.2. Ptolemy
8.1.3. The development of Copernicus's theory
8.1.4. Conceptual change in Copernicus
8.1.5. The explanatory coherence of
Copernicus's theory
8.2. Newton
8.2.1. Newton's conceptual changes
8.2.2. The explanatory coherence of Newtonian
mechanics
8.3. Einstein
8.3.1. The development of relativity theory
8.3.2. Conceptual change in relativity theory
8.3.3. The explanatory coherence of relativity
theory
8.4. Quantum theory
8.4.1. The development of quantum theory
8.4.2. Conceptual change in quantum theory
8.4.3. The explanatory coherence of quantum
theory
8.5. Forces, quarks, and superstrings
8.6. Summary
Ch. 9. Revolutions in Psychology?
9.1. Approaches, framework, and theories
9.2. Behaviorism
9.2.1. The development of behaviorism
9.2.2. Behaviorism and conceptual change
9.2.3. Behaviorism and explanatory coherence
9.3. Cognitivism
9.3.1. The development of cognitivism
9.3.2. Cognitivism and conceptual change
9.3.3. Cognitivism and explanatory coherence
9.3.4. Connectionism
9.4. Other developments
9.5. Summary
Ch. 10. Conceptual Change in Scientists and Children
10.1. Comparative summary of scientific revolutions
10.1.1. Discovery and conceptual change
10.1.2. Explanatory coherence
10.1.3. Revolutions and scientific knowledge
10.2. Conceptual change in children
10.2.1. Are children like scientists?
10.2.2. Changes in children's concepts
10.2.3. Children's theories
10.2.4. The growth of knowledge in children
and scientists
10.3. Projects for understanding science
10.3.1. Children and education
10.3.2. Scientific knowledge
10.4. Summary
References
Index