Scienti¿c progress depends crucially on scienti¿c discoveries. Yet the topic of scienti¿c
discoveries has not been central to debate in the philosophy of science. This book aims to
remedy this shortcoming. Based on a broad reading of the term science (similar to the German
term Wissenschaft ) the book convenes experts from different disciplines who re¿ect upon
several intertwined questions connected to the topic of making scienti¿c discoveries. Among
these questions are the following: What are the preconditions for making scienti¿c discoveries?
What is it that we (have to) do when we make discoveries in science? What are the objects of
scienti¿c discoveries how do we name them and how do scienti¿c names function? Do
dis-coveries in say physics and biology share an underlying structure or do they differ
from each other in crucial ways? Are other ¿elds such as theology and environmental studies
loci of scienti¿c discovery? What is the purpose of making scienti¿c discoveries? Explaining
nature or reality? Increasing scienti¿c knowledge? Finding new truths? If so how can we
account for instructive blunders and serendipities in science? In the light of the above the
following is an encompassing question of the book: What does it mean to make a discovery in
science and how can scienti¿c discoveries be distinguished from non-scienti¿c discoveries?
