Introduction to The Routledge Handbook of Feminist Philosophy of Science

Abstract

In this introduction, the authors explain how the people have conceived of feminist philosophy of science, offer some historical background on the subfield, as well as provide an overview of the organization and main themes of handbook, indicating how the various chapters address the issues for each of these sections. Philosophy of science, itself, has often been treated in analytic philosophy as a subfield of epistemology, or the study of knowledge. The former is evidenced by the re-examination of key scientific, metaphysical, and ethical concepts that are seen throughout feminist philosophy of science and will be discussed in more detail below. Feminist Philosophy of Science in Practice includes chapters that examine scientific research in particular disciplines from feminist perspectives. Feminist philosophy of science is a rich, diverse, and growing body of work. While much of this research aims to examine and evaluate science and traditional philosophy of science, it should not be understood as either “anti-science” or “anti-philosophy of science.”.