THE AIMS AND METHODS OF PHYSICS
Click on the chapter in the map that interests you.
The trunk of the set runs from metamethodology (which
explains the philosophical methods adopted), through the aims of physicists,
to the methods of physicists. Branching off are various kinds of chapters:
If you become lost in the links (it sounds like golf
:-)), your best bet is to return to this map page and make a fresh start.
Chapters which apply these results to other problems eg.
demarcation; the relation between methodology and history and sociology;
realism and antirealism
Chapters which consider, in more detail, the extent of justification
for the aims, and the methods eg. the inductive presupposition, successful
novel fact prediction
Chapters which provide examples of the methods being used
by physicists eg. Mill's methods
Chapters which discuss present and past philosophical views
eg. the role of history, novel fact prediction.
I aim to update the chapters regularly, as I find mistakes.
If anyone has any suggestions, please post
them to me. I'll be pleased to include your thoughts, and to credit
you in the version history that I append to the chapters.
If you want a snail mail version of some part of the
set, let me know.