Synopses & Reviews
Cost, expected benefits, and risks are paramount in grant agencies' decisions to fund scientific research. In Cognitive Economy, Nicholas Rescher outlines a general theory for the cost-effective use of intellectual resources, amplifying the theories of Charles Sanders Pierce, who stressed an “economy of research.” Rescher discusses the requirements of cooperation, communication, cognitive importance, cognitive economy, as well as the economic factors bearing on induction and simplicity. He then applies his model to several case studies and to clarifying the limits imposed on science by economic considerations.
Review
“Rescher at his best. The arguments are strong and full of imagination, the applications of the model are precise and apt. This book should be required reading for those who serve on grant committees.”
—Robert Butts, University of Western Ontario
Synopsis
Nicholas Rescher outlines a general theory for the cost-effective use of intellectual resources, and discusses the requirements of cooperation, communication, cognitive importance, cognitive economy, and then applies his model to several case studies.
About the Author
Nicholas Rescher is University Professor of Philosophy at the University of Pittsburgh, and chairman of the Center for Philosophy of Science. He is the author or editor of nearly one hundred books, including Aporetics: Rational Deliberation in the Face of Inconsistency, and Ignorance: (On the Wider Implications of Deficient Knowledge).