Science is our best source of knowledge. Yet, the theories, laws, and models of science are often highly idealized and, in a sense, false. How do we discover truth by appealing to lies (in the way of idealizations)? How does science provide accurate descriptions, true explanations, and genuine understanding if appeals to idealizations, abstractions, and approximations abound? Elay Shech’s new book, Idealizations in Physics (Cambridge University Press), sheds light on such questions and connects issues such as epistemic justification, mathematical Platonism, scientific realism, and scientific understanding.
Download it for FREE until Jan. 26, 2023: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781108946742
Taking up Spacetime 