How Scientists Explain Disease



Paul Thagard, How Scientists Explain Disease, was published by Princeton University Press in May, 1999.

To run the ECHO simulation of the initial rejection and eventual acceptance of the bacterial
theory of ulcers, go to JavaECHO.

Most of the links for chapter 13 can be found in an earlier version of the chapter, an article called Internet Epistemology.

Barry Marshall's Helicobacter Pylori Foundation page.

Here is the table of contents of How Scientists Explain Disease.


I Explanations
1 Explaining Science Explanation Schemas Explaining Belief Change Lavoisier and the Chemical Revolution Hadden on the Mechanical-Mechanist World View Alternatives to Cognitive Individualism Mind, Society, and Rationality Summary of Chapter 1
2 Explaining Disease Explanation Schemas in the History of Medicine Explanation Schemas from Molecular Genetics Explanatory and Conceptual Unification Summary of Chapter 2
II The Bacterial Theory of Peptic Ulcers
3 Ulcers and Bacteria: Discovery The Discoveries Models of Discovery Modeling the Discoveries Conceptual Change The Process of Discovery Summary of Chapter 3
4 Ulcers and Bacteria: Acceptance Early Reception of the Bacterial Theory of Ulcers Causation and Koch's Postulates Causation and Cure Rejection, Acceptance, and Explanatory Coherence Conclusion Summary of Chapter 4
5 Ulcers and Bacteria: Instruments and Experiments Instruments Experiments Experiment and Theory Medical Realism
Summary of Chapter 5
6 Ulcers and Bacteria: Social Interactions Collaboration Communication Consensus Organizations and Funding Science as a Social Process Conclusion Summary of Chapter 6
III Cognitive Processes
7 Causes, Correlations, and Mechanisms Correlation and Causes Causes and Mechanisms Disease Explanation as Causal Network Instantiation Conclusion Summary of Chapter 7
8 Discovering Causes: Scurvy, Mad Cow Disease, AIDS, and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Stages of Disease Understanding Scurvy Spongiform Encephalopathies AIDS Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Complexities of Causal Inference Summary of Chapter 8
9 Medical Analogies Models of Analogical Transfer Theoretical Analogies Experimental Analogies Diagnostic Analogies Therapeutic Analogies Technological Analogies Educational Analogies Summary of Chapter 9
10 Diseases, Germs, and Conceptual Change Conceptual Change Changes in Disease Concepts Representational Changes in Germ Concepts Germs: Referential Change Representation, Reference, and Conceptual Change Summary of Chapter 10
IV Social Processes
11 Collaborative Knowledge The Prevalence of Collaboration The Nature of Collaboration Goldman's Standards for Epistemic Appraisal Why Collaborate? Gains and (Occasional) Losses Explanatory Efficacy Applications: Ulcers and Analogy Summary of Chapter 11
12 Medical Consensus Anatomy of a Consensus Conference Evidence-Based Medicine The Logic of Testing and Treatment Contributions of Consensus Conferences Summary of Chapter 12
13 Science and Medicine on the Internet A Day in the Life of a Cyberscientist Revolutions in Scientific Communication Science on the Web Power and Explanatory Efficacy Fecundity Speed Efficiency Reliability and Pragmatic Efficacy Conclusion Summary of Chapter 13
V Conclusion
14 Science as a Complex System Metaphors and Analogies in Science Studies Distributed Computation Objections and Limitations Reduction Rationality Realism Conclusion Summary of Chapter 14
References

Go back to Computational Epistemology Lab Home Page