This new edition updates this accessible study of the philosophy of science. Since the time of Plato & Aristotle, scientists & philosophers have raised questions about the proper evaluation of scientific interpretations. A Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Science is an exposition of differing viewpoints on issues such as the distinction between scientific inquiry & other types of interpretation, the relationship between theories & observation reports; the evaluation of competing theories; & the nature of scientific progress. The author makes accessible the philosophy of science to readers who may not have extensive knowledge of formal logic or the history of the several sciences. The 3rd edition incorporates an extended discussion of recent developments. Historicist critics of Logical Empiricism have established that evaluative standards & cognitive aims have changed within the history of science. This edition examines these changes, the recent controversies over scientific realism, casual theories of explanation, Bayesian theories of confirmation, & the search for a nonprescriptive philosophy of science.