Science and the Pursuit of Wisdom:
Studies in the Philosophy of Nicholas Maxwell
Leemon McHenry (Ed.)

Published by Ontos Verlag, Frankfurt-Heusenstamm.   www.ontosverlag.com
February 2009.    ISBN: 978-3-86838-028-6

Publisher's Back Cover Description:

Nicholas Maxwell's provocative and highly-original philosophy of science urges a revolution in academic inquiry affecting all branches of learning, so that the single-minded pursuit of knowledge is replaced with the aim of helping people realize what is of value in life and make progress toward a more civilized world. This volume of essays from an international, interdisciplinary group of scholars engages Maxwell in critical evaluation and celebrates his contribution to philosophy spanning forty years. Several of the contributors, like Maxwell, took their inspiration from Sir Karl Popper's philosophy of science and were connected to the department he created at the London School of Economics. In the introductory chapter, Maxwell provides an overview of his thought and then defends his views against objections in a concluding essay.

Contents

v      Preface

1      How Can Life of Value Best Flourish in the Real World?   Nicholas Maxwell

I. FROM KNOWLEDGE TO WISDOM

57    Sonnets on Wisdom in Honour of Nicholas Maxwell   Alan Nordstrom

61    Nicholas Maxwell in Context: The Relationship of His Wisdom Theses to the Contemporary Global Interest in Wisdom   Copthorne Macdonald

83    Prolegomena to a Critique of Pure Wisdom   Steve Fuller

93    Why is it So Hard to Move From Knowledge to Wisdom?   John Stewart

111   The Urgent Need for an Intellectual Revolution: Maxwell's Version
Joseph Agassi

129   No Easy Answers: Wisdom and Cognitive Science   Margaret Boden

147   How Should Research be Organised? An Alternative to the UK Research Assessment Exercise
Donald Dillies

II. HUMAN WORLD AND THE PHYSICAL UNIVERSE

169   Our Place in Nature   Jeremy Shearmur

183   Maxwell on Free Will, Science and Determinism   Mathew Iredale

199   The Limits of Physicalism   David Hodgson

III. PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE

217   Metaphysics and Methodology: Aim-Oriented Empiricism   Karl Rogers

233   Popper and Maxwell on Scientific Progress   Leemon McHenry

IV. REPLIES AND REFLECTIONS

249   Replies and Reflections   Nicholas Maxwell

315   Selected Publications of Nicholas Maxwell

321   Notes on Contributors