Timothy Shanahan is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He is the author or editor of six previous books and numerous scholarly articles and book chapters in philosophy, science, and film studies.

'Shanahan's large-scale investigation of the Pessimistic Induction over the history of science presents a well-organized view of the last several decades' worth of writing on this topic and advances the discussion on several fronts. It covers exactly the right set of topics, given the current state of the debates about the Pessimistic Induction; it includes everything you need, and nothing you don't. For people new to the topic, it provides an excellent orientation to a sprawling field. For old hands, it offers a synoptic and cohesive fresh perspective on multiple frontiers of the debates about the Pessimistic Induction.' Greg Frost-Arnold, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

• 1. Introduction: the pessimistic induction; 2. What sorts of scientific claims are threatened by the PI?; 3. What, exactly, is 'the pessimistic induction'?; 4. Are dethroned theories completely discarded?; 5. Is the history of science a graveyard of dethroned theories?; 6. Does the pessimistic induction commit a fallacy?; 7. Is contemporary science fundamentally different?; 8. What's new in the 'new induction'?; 9. Are some scientific knowledge claims 'future-proof'?; 10. What can an induction on the history of science teach us?; References; Index.

Timothy Shanahan is Distinguished Professor of Philosophy at Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles. He is the author or editor of six previous books and numerous scholarly articles and book chapters in philosophy, science, and film studies.

'Shanahan's large-scale investigation of the Pessimistic Induction over the history of science presents a well-organized view of the last several decades' worth of writing on this topic and advances the discussion on several fronts. It covers exactly the right set of topics, given the current state of the debates about the Pessimistic Induction; it includes everything you need, and nothing you don't. For people new to the topic, it provides an excellent orientation to a sprawling field. For old hands, it offers a synoptic and cohesive fresh perspective on multiple frontiers of the debates about the Pessimistic Induction.' Greg Frost-Arnold, Hobart and William Smith Colleges

• 1. Introduction: the pessimistic induction; 2. What sorts of scientific claims are threatened by the PI?; 3. What, exactly, is 'the pessimistic induction'?; 4. Are dethroned theories completely discarded?; 5. Is the history of science a graveyard of dethroned theories?; 6. Does the pessimistic induction commit a fallacy?; 7. Is contemporary science fundamentally different?; 8. What's new in the 'new induction'?; 9. Are some scientific knowledge claims 'future-proof'?; 10. What can an induction on the history of science teach us?; References; Index.