The Devil in the Details - Asymptotic Reasoning in Explanation, Reduction, and Emergence. Oxford Studies in Philosophy of Science. (Electronic book text)

The author examines a form of scientific reasoning called asymptotic reasoning, which he argues has important consequences for our understanding of the scientific process as a whole. He argues that asymptotic reasoning is essential for explaining what physicists call universal behaviour: in this type of reasoning, a scientific observer may choose to focus on only a handful among many avaliable variables, while arguing that the others make little or no contribution to the behaviour in a given system. Robert Batterman simplifies some of the more complex questions about universal behaviour, demonstrating an understanding of the underlying structures that ground them. This book introduces a method that offers the possibility of filling explanatory gaps across disciplines.; This book is intended for students and scholars of philosophy.