Offering an historical and philosophical perspective on an important recent discovery in particle physics, the first evidence for the elementary particle known as the top quark, this study draws on published reports, oral histories, and internal documents. Kent Staley explores in detail the controversies and politics that surrounded the major scientific result. His book defends an objective theory of scientific evidence based on error probabilities.

This book guides readers by gradual steps through the central concepts and debates in the philosophy of science. Using concrete examples from the history of science, Kent W. Staley shows how seemingly abstract philosophical issues are relevant to important aspects of scientific practice. Structured in two parts, the book first tackles the central concepts of the philosophy of science, such as the problem of induction, falsificationism, and underdetermination, and important figures and movements, such as the logical empiricists, Thomas Kuhn, and Paul Feyerabend. The second part turns to...