Marco J. Nathan is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Denver. His research focuses on the philosophy of science, with particular emphasis on biology, neuroscience, cognitive neuropsychology, and economics. He has published numerous articles and chapters in philosophical and scientific venues.

• ContentsPrefaceChapter 1: Bricks and Boxes1.1 The Wall1.2 A Theory of Everything?1.3 Pandora's Gift to Science: The Black Box1.4 Structure and Synopsis1.5 Aim and ScopeChapter 2: Between Scylla and Charybdis2.1 Introduction2.2 The Rock Shoal and the Whirlpool2.3 The Rise and Fall of Classical Reductionism2.4 Antireductionism Strikes Back2.5 The Reductionists Return2.6 Scylla or Charybdis?2.7 Why Not Have the Cake and Eat It Too?Chapter 3: Lessons from the History of Science3.1 Introduction3.2 Darwin's Quest for Inheritance and Variation3.3 Mendel's Missing Mechanisms: A Tale of Two Syntheses3.4 Absent Minded: Psychological Behaviors3.5 The Nature and Significance of Economics3.6 The Many Faces of Black BoxesChapter 4: Placeholders4.1 Introduction4.2 Two Theses About Fitness4.3 Are Dispositions Explanatory?4.4 Placeholders in Scientific Theory and Practice4.5 Two Types of PlaceholdersChapter 5: Black-Boxing 1015.1 Introduction5.2 Step One: The Framing Stage5.3 Step Two: The Difference-Making Stage5.4 Step Three: The Representation Stage5.5 What is a Black Box? A Three-Part RecipeChapter 6: History of Science 'Black-Boxing Style'6.1 Introduction6.2 Darwin's Black Boxes6.3 Mendel's Black Boxes6.4 Skinner's Black Boxes6.5 Friedman's Black Boxes6.6 Black Boxes in Science: Concluding RemarksChapter 7: Diet Mechanistic Philosophy7.1 Introduction7.2 The New Mechanistic Philosophy7.3 Three Steps: A Neo-Mechanistic Perspective7.4 Mechanisms, Models, and Metaphysics7.5 Mechanisms and Black Boxes7.6 What's in a Mechanism?7.7 The Diet Recipe: Concluding RemarksChapter 8: Emergence Reframed8.1 Introduction8.2 Emergence: Metaphysical or Epistemic?8.3 Emergence in Action: Systems Neuroscience8.4 Emergents and Black Boxes8.5 Refinements and Implications8.6 Adequacy Conditions and Advantages 8.7 Concluding RemarksChapter 9: The Fuel of Scientific Progress9.1 Introduction9.2 The Roots of Incommensurability9.3 Referential Models and Incommensurability9.4 Black Boxes and Reference Potential, Part I9.5 Black Boxes and Reference Potential, Part II9.6 Incommensurability, Progress, and Black Boxes: Concluding RemarksChapter 10: Sailing Through the Strait10.1 Back to Bricks and Boxes10.2 The Quagmire10.3 Rocking the Rock, Weathering the Whirlpool10.4 A History of Black Boxes10.5 The Devil in the Details?References

The innovative approach Nathan has adopted is to turn attention from preoccupation with what is known to describe the role of "black boxes" in science. Readers familiar with these debates should find that the motif of black boxes lends nuance to familiar arguments.

Marco J. Nathan is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Denver. His research focuses on the philosophy of science, with particular emphasis on biology, neuroscience, cognitive neuropsychology, and economics. He has published numerous articles and chapters in philosophical and scientific venues.

• ContentsPrefaceChapter 1: Bricks and Boxes1.1 The Wall1.2 A Theory of Everything?1.3 Pandora's Gift to Science: The Black Box1.4 Structure and Synopsis1.5 Aim and ScopeChapter 2: Between Scylla and Charybdis2.1 Introduction2.2 The Rock Shoal and the Whirlpool2.3 The Rise and Fall of Classical Reductionism2.4 Antireductionism Strikes Back2.5 The Reductionists Return2.6 Scylla or Charybdis?2.7 Why Not Have the Cake and Eat It Too?Chapter 3: Lessons from the History of Science3.1 Introduction3.2 Darwin's Quest for Inheritance and Variation3.3 Mendel's Missing Mechanisms: A Tale of Two Syntheses3.4 Absent Minded: Psychological Behaviors3.5 The Nature and Significance of Economics3.6 The Many Faces of Black BoxesChapter 4: Placeholders4.1 Introduction4.2 Two Theses About Fitness4.3 Are Dispositions Explanatory?4.4 Placeholders in Scientific Theory and Practice4.5 Two Types of PlaceholdersChapter 5: Black-Boxing 1015.1 Introduction5.2 Step One: The Framing Stage5.3 Step Two: The Difference-Making Stage5.4 Step Three: The Representation Stage5.5 What is a Black Box? A Three-Part RecipeChapter 6: History of Science 'Black-Boxing Style'6.1 Introduction6.2 Darwin's Black Boxes6.3 Mendel's Black Boxes6.4 Skinner's Black Boxes6.5 Friedman's Black Boxes6.6 Black Boxes in Science: Concluding RemarksChapter 7: Diet Mechanistic Philosophy7.1 Introduction7.2 The New Mechanistic Philosophy7.3 Three Steps: A Neo-Mechanistic Perspective7.4 Mechanisms, Models, and Metaphysics7.5 Mechanisms and Black Boxes7.6 What's in a Mechanism?7.7 The Diet Recipe: Concluding RemarksChapter 8: Emergence Reframed8.1 Introduction8.2 Emergence: Metaphysical or Epistemic?8.3 Emergence in Action: Systems Neuroscience8.4 Emergents and Black Boxes8.5 Refinements and Implications8.6 Adequacy Conditions and Advantages 8.7 Concluding RemarksChapter 9: The Fuel of Scientific Progress9.1 Introduction9.2 The Roots of Incommensurability9.3 Referential Models and Incommensurability9.4 Black Boxes and Reference Potential, Part I9.5 Black Boxes and Reference Potential, Part II9.6 Incommensurability, Progress, and Black Boxes: Concluding RemarksChapter 10: Sailing Through the Strait10.1 Back to Bricks and Boxes10.2 The Quagmire10.3 Rocking the Rock, Weathering the Whirlpool10.4 A History of Black Boxes10.5 The Devil in the Details?References

The innovative approach Nathan has adopted is to turn attention from preoccupation with what is known to describe the role of "black boxes" in science. Readers familiar with these debates should find that the motif of black boxes lends nuance to familiar arguments.

Marco J. Nathan is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Philosophy at the University of Denver. His research focuses on the philosophy of science, with particular emphasis on biology, neuroscience, cognitive neuropsychology, and economics. He has published numerous articles and chapters in philosophical and scientific venues.

• ContentsPrefaceChapter 1: Bricks and Boxes1.1 The Wall1.2 A Theory of Everything?1.3 Pandora's Gift to Science: The Black Box1.4 Structure and Synopsis1.5 Aim and ScopeChapter 2: Between Scylla and Charybdis2.1 Introduction2.2 The Rock Shoal and the Whirlpool2.3 The Rise and Fall of Classical Reductionism2.4 Antireductionism Strikes Back2.5 The Reductionists Return2.6 Scylla or Charybdis?2.7 Why Not Have the Cake and Eat It Too?Chapter 3: Lessons from the History of Science3.1 Introduction3.2 Darwin's Quest for Inheritance and Variation3.3 Mendel's Missing Mechanisms: A Tale of Two Syntheses3.4 Absent Minded: Psychological Behaviors3.5 The Nature and Significance of Economics3.6 The Many Faces of Black BoxesChapter 4: Placeholders4.1 Introduction4.2 Two Theses About Fitness4.3 Are Dispositions Explanatory?4.4 Placeholders in Scientific Theory and Practice4.5 Two Types of PlaceholdersChapter 5: Black-Boxing 1015.1 Introduction5.2 Step One: The Framing Stage5.3 Step Two: The Difference-Making Stage5.4 Step Three: The Representation Stage5.5 What is a Black Box? A Three-Part RecipeChapter 6: History of Science 'Black-Boxing Style'6.1 Introduction6.2 Darwin's Black Boxes6.3 Mendel's Black Boxes6.4 Skinner's Black Boxes6.5 Friedman's Black Boxes6.6 Black Boxes in Science: Concluding RemarksChapter 7: Diet Mechanistic Philosophy7.1 Introduction7.2 The New Mechanistic Philosophy7.3 Three Steps: A Neo-Mechanistic Perspective7.4 Mechanisms, Models, and Metaphysics7.5 Mechanisms and Black Boxes7.6 What's in a Mechanism?7.7 The Diet Recipe: Concluding RemarksChapter 8: Emergence Reframed8.1 Introduction8.2 Emergence: Metaphysical or Epistemic?8.3 Emergence in Action: Systems Neuroscience8.4 Emergents and Black Boxes8.5 Refinements and Implications8.6 Adequacy Conditions and Advantages 8.7 Concluding RemarksChapter 9: The Fuel of Scientific Progress9.1 Introduction9.2 The Roots of Incommensurability9.3 Referential Models and Incommensurability9.4 Black Boxes and Reference Potential, Part I9.5 Black Boxes and Reference Potential, Part II9.6 Incommensurability, Progress, and Black Boxes: Concluding RemarksChapter 10: Sailing Through the Strait10.1 Back to Bricks and Boxes10.2 The Quagmire10.3 Rocking the Rock, Weathering the Whirlpool10.4 A History of Black Boxes10.5 The Devil in the Details?References

The innovative approach Nathan has adopted is to turn attention from preoccupation with what is known to describe the role of "black boxes" in science. Readers familiar with these debates should find that the motif of black boxes lends nuance to familiar arguments.