Growing Explanations

“[T]his stimulating volume provides an interesting mirror of its subject matter. The dynamic interplay between essays may well capture the complexity of contemporary scientific practice better than any isolated chapter on its own. Hopefully this s interesting volume will inspire further comparative studies.” - David Kaiser , American Historical Review

“This important and provocative volume makes a persuasive case for the claim that complex phenomena require a particular kind of understanding, one that is historical in nature, and for the further proposal that the world will turn out to be complex all the way down.” - Jessica Riskin , Journal of Interdisciplinary History

"[F]ascinating. . . . Wise's collection provides many . . . delights. . . . I recommend this volume to all those interested in viewing the development of science and technology from an interesting new perspective." - Catherine Westfall, Isis

“Growing Explanations registers the profound shift in many domains of science—from chaos theory to functional genomics—giving epistemological priority to complex and emergent phenomena. Anyone interested in the nature of contemporary science, especially the central role of the computer, will find this a fascinating read.” - Angela N. H. Creager, Princeton University

“M. Norton Wise has orchestrated a volume of cutting-edge work exploring the sea change in contemporary models of explanation fueled by advances in computation, simulation, and the new sciences of complexity. The authors illustrate how, across a wide spectrum of disciplines, new strategies based on ‘growing explanations’ to understand the emergent behaviors of systems constructed from the bottom up are replacing the traditional ‘reductionist’ credo of explaining complex phenomena in terms of simple entities. An important and timely volume for anyone interested in science studies.” - Timothy Lenoir, author of Instituting Science: The Cultural Production of Scientific Disciplines