What are the relationships between philosophy and the history of philosophy, the history of science and the philosophy of science? This selection of essays by Lorenz Krüger (1932-1994) presents exemplary studies on the philosophy of John Locke and Immanuel Kant, on the history of physics and on the scope and limitations of scientific explanation, and a realistic understanding of science and truth. In his treatment of leading currents in 20th century philosophy, Krüger presents new and original arguments for a deeper understanding of the continuity and dynamics of the development of scientific theory. These result in significant consequences for the claim of the sciences that they understand reality in a rational manner. The case studies are complemented by fundamental thoughts on the relationship between philosophy, science, and their common history.

Lorenz Krüger (1932-1994) lehrte als Professor für Philosophie an der Universität Bielefeld, an der Freien Universität Berlin und an der Universität Göttingen. Er leitete seit 1992 das "Zentrum für Wissenschaftsgeschichte und Wissenschaftstheorie" in Berlin und wurde 1993 als einer der drei Gründungsdirektoren des Max-Planck-Instituuts für Wissenschaftsgeschichte berufen.