9780521259897

Theory of Earth Science

Wolf Von Engelhardt; Jorg Zimmermann

ISBN 10: 0521259894 / 0-521-25989-4
ISBN 13: 9780521259897
Publisher: Cambridge Univ Pr
Publication Date: 1988
Binding: Hardcover
Editorial Reviews:
Synopsis:

Theory of Earth Science deals with the conceptual structure of factual research in the geoscientific disciplines. After an inquiry into the communicative functions and the language of geoscience, the process of research is analyzed, starting from the establishment of empirical facts and inductive generalizations, and the resulting construction of hypotheses and the progress of geoscientific knowledge are discussed in relation to current philosophical approaches. The book is the first in its field to analyze geoscientific research in philosophical terms. It is one of the rare attempts to bridge the gap between abstract theories of knowledge and a particular, non-physical science.