With a keen eye for the essentials and in clear, illustrative terms, this now-standard introduction explains the classic topics of the philosophy of science. It clarifies all important fundamental concepts, examines the relationship between the philosophy of science and the history of science, and addresses the various approaches to theory formation. At the same time, a new interdisciplinary philosophy of science is outlined. The volume has now been completely revised and each section has been supplemented with a discussion on the complexity-theoretical approach and on the sciences of technology.