COMMENT:An excellent introduction for non-philosophers of science to some areas of controversy in the field involving relativism. The book is in the form of a dialogue between a Relativist ("Quincy Rortabender"), a Pragmatist ("Percy Lauwey"), a Positivist ("Rudy Reichfeigl"), and a Realist ("Karl Selnam"). Laudan wrote the book mainly to correct what he sees as erroneous misconceptions that social scientists, literary theorists, and philosophers outside of philosophy of science have inferred from recent philosophy of science. Chapters include Progress and Cumulativity, Theory-ladenness and Underdetermination, Holism, Standards of Success, Incommensurability, and Interests and the Social Determinants of Belief.
