The Philosophy of Science and Engineering Design

1. Auflage 2016
ISBN: 978-3-319-35154-4
Verlag: Springer

Buch, Englisch, 75 Seiten, Format (B × H): 155 mm x 235 mm, Gewicht: 1474 g

Reihe: SpringerBriefs in Philosophy

This book discusses the relationship between the philosophy of science and philosophy of engineering, and demonstrates how philosophers of engineering design as well as design researchers can benefit from the conceptual toolkit that the philosophy of science has to offer. 

In this regard, it employs conceptual tools from the philosophical literature on scientific explanation to address key issues in engineering design and philosophy of engineering design. Specifically, the book focuses on assessing the explanatory value of function ascriptions used in engineering design and philosophy of technical functions; on elaborating the structure of explanation in engineering design; on assessing the role and value of design representations in engineering design and philosophy thereof; and on elaborating means for the testing of design methods.

Presenting a novel and effective approach to tackling key issues in the field, philosophers of engineering and design alike will greatly benefit from this book.

Zielgruppe

Research

Autoren/Hrsg.

van Eck, Dingmar

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Wissenschaftstheorie, Wissenschaftsphilosophie
• Geisteswissenschaften Philosophie Moderne Philosophische Disziplinen Philosophie der Technik
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Wissenschaften: Theorie, Epistemologie, Methodik
• Technische Wissenschaften Technik Allgemein Philosophie der Technik

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction

Chapter 1: Function ascription and explanation: elaborating an explanatory utility desideratum for ascriptions of technical functions 
1 Introduction2 Functional vs. teleological explanation: why was artifact x produced? 2.1. The ICE theory of technical functions2.2. Heuristics of technical function ascriptions3 Malfunction explanation3.1 malfunction analysis: an engineering example4 Conclusions
Chapter 2: Mechanistic Explanation in Engineering Science
1 Introduction2 Mechanistic explanation in engineering science 2.1 Mechanistic explanation and (role) functional individuation2.2 Function and functional decomposition in engineering2.3 Reverse engineering explanation (and redesign)2.4. Malfunction explanation 2.5 Capturing mechanistic explanation in engineering science: pluralism about mechanistic role functions3 Explanation and systems thinking: where engineering and systems biology meet3.1 Engineering and mechanistic explanation in system biology: the e.coli heat shock case4 Explanatory power: Rethinking the explanatory desiderata of  ‘abstraction’ and ‘completeness and specificity’4.1. Explaining robustness:  complete and specific models4.2 malfunction explanation: local specificity and global abstraction 4.3 malfunction explanation in biology
Chapter 3: Dissolving the ‘problem of the absent artifact’: design representations as means for counterfactual understanding and knowledge generalization
Introduction1 The problem of the absent artifact2 Dissolving the problem of the absent artifact3 Roles of design representations3.1 Explanation and counterfactual understanding3.2 Abstraction, idealization, generalization, and unification4 Conclusion
Chapter 4: On testing engineering design methods: explanation, reverse engineering, and constitutive relevance1 Introduction2 Mechanistic explanation: explanation by decomposition2.1. Mechanistic explanation3 Mutual manipulability and the causal-constitutive relevance distinction3.1. Mutual manipulability3.2. Fat-handedness and mutual manipulability combined4. Testing (reverse) engineering design methods: applying mutual manipulability 4.1 Mechanistic reverse engineering explanation4.2 Testing case4.3 The goodness of design representations5 Outlook and conclusions

Über Autor(innen)

Dr. Dingmar van Eck currently works as a fulltime (postdoctoral) researcher on issues primarily related to scientific explanation in a variety of scientific fields, including engineering science, biology, cognitive and neuroscience. Before that, he executed a four-year research project on philosophical theories of technical functions, and on functional modelling and explanation in engineering science and practice. Dr. Dingmar van Eck has published numerous papers on these topics in both philosophy and engineering journals.