Ideas for a Hermeneutic Phenomenology of the Natural Sciences

This book is a methodical and systematic presentation of basic ontological issues that must be raised with respect to the meaning and function of natural science. The ontological issues are discussed from a hermeneutico-phenomenological point of view. In addition, the book contains critical discussions of basic themes raised by Carnap, Hempel, Stegmüller, Kuhn, Lakatos, Hübner, Popper, van Fraassen, Heelan and Kisiel. One of the basic theses developed in the book is that logical, epistemological and methodological issues pertinent to the natural sciences should be complemented by ontological issues that focus mainly on meaning and truth. The book also contains one chapter on the implications of the ontological ideas presented for the history of the natural sciences. Front Matter....Pages i-xiii Notes on the History of the Philosophy of Science....Pages 1-59 Hermeneutic Phenomenology on the Meaning and Function of Philosophy....Pages 60-98 Basic Issues for an Ontology of the Natural Sciences....Pages 99-169 Critical Discussion of Some Basic Issues Raised in the Logic, Epistemology, History, and Ontology of the Natural Sciences....Pages 170-252 Toward a Hermeneutic Theory of the History of the Natural Sciences....Pages 253-282 Back Matter....Pages 283-314