How Scientists Explain Disease

Summary: "This is a wonderful book! InHow Scientists Explain Disease, Paul Thagard offers us a delightful essay combining science, its history, philosophy, and sociology. Choosing as a case study the discovery that ulcers can be caused by bacteria and not simply by stress, Thagard takes us right into the heart of science and medicine, showing in a fascinating and illuminating way how scientists think, why they like ideas and ...(even more) why they might set up really strong objections to something which posterity judges a major advance. . . . It has been a long time since I read a book as important as this, and more importantly, it has been a long time since I read a scholarly book which gave me such simple pleasure."--Michael Ruse, University of Guelph, author ofMonad to Man "Thagard's model of the growth of scientific knowledge complements and extends current work while skillfully advancing a new account of knowledge growth. His literary style makes the arguments clear and accessible."--William C. Summers, Yale University [read more]