Across the Boundaries
by Daniel Steel
First published 2006 · 249 pages · about 4 hours to read
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About this book
Across the Boundaries is a philosophy of science book by Daniel Steel about extrapolation: how researchers reason from results observed in one population, species or setting to claims about another. Steel focuses on biology, where findings from model organisms like mice and fruit flies are used to draw conclusions about humans, and on social science, where similar inferences are made across groups and contexts. Readers come to it for a rigorous account of when such inferences are justified and how to evaluate them.
Scientists often want to apply what they learn in a study to a different case, such as a laboratory animal to a human patient or one social group to another. The book asks what makes such extrapolation reliable, and why it is hard to judge.
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Will you like it?
Written for philosophers of science, biologists and social scientists who want a careful account of how results travel from one setting to another. It is built around concrete cases from animal research and social studies, and it argues from examples rather than from abstract theory alone.
- extrapolation
- model organisms
- causal reasoning
- scientific method
- social science
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Quick answers
- What age is Across the Boundaries for?
- Adults.
- Is Across the Boundaries a standalone?
- Yes, it stands on its own.
- Does Across the Boundaries have violence, sex or strong language?
- Nothing a reader needs warning about.
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
Reader's guide
Themesextrapolation, scientific method, model organisms, causal reasoning, social science, inductive inference
extrapolation · scientific method · model organisms · causal reasoning · social science · inductive inference
StyleAcademic and analytical. The prose is dense and argumentative, with technical terms defined in the text, numbered claims, and frequent worked examples from research practice. It is written for specialists and advanced students, and chapters can be read in sequence or separately.
Academic and analytical. The prose is dense and argumentative, with technical terms defined in the text, numbered claims, and frequent worked examples from research practice. It is written for specialists and advanced students, and chapters can be read in sequence or separately.
How it was writtenDaniel Steel is a philosopher of science who has worked on causal inference, the philosophy of biology and social science, and extrapolation. The book was published in the mid-2000s by Oxford University Press as a monograph within the philosophy of science. It developed ideas Steel had been publishing in journal articles.
Daniel Steel is a philosopher of science who has worked on causal inference, the philosophy of biology and social science, and extrapolation. The book was published in the mid-2000s by Oxford University Press as a monograph within the philosophy of science. It developed ideas Steel had been publishing in journal articles.
How it was receivedThe book is read mainly by philosophers of science, philosophers of biology and social scientists interested in methodology. It is cited in discussions of external validity, mechanistic reasoning and the use of animal models in research.
The book is read mainly by philosophers of science, philosophers of biology and social scientists interested in methodology. It is cited in discussions of external validity, mechanistic reasoning and the use of animal models in research.
Questions to discussWhat makes a model organism similar enough to a human for a result to carry over, and how would you test that similarity?
These may talk about the whole book.
- What makes a model organism similar enough to a human for a result to carry over, and how would you test that similarity?
- Does the causal and mechanistic approach Steel favours give a clearer standard than simply counting similarities between populations?
- Are the problems of extrapolation in biology and social science fundamentally the same, or do they differ in important ways?
- How should a researcher state the limits of a finding that may not transfer to other settings?
- Could the same reasoning apply outside science, for example in policy decisions based on pilot programmes?
Written with AI from what's known about the book.
More by Daniel Steel
- Current Controversies in Values and ScienceCurrent Controversies in Values and Science2017
- Philosophy and the Precautionary PrinciplePhilosophy and the Precautionary Principle2014
- The Philosophy of Social Science ReaderThe Philosophy of Social Science Reader2010