Robert E. Butts (1928-1997) was a philosopher and
historian of science whose central concerns were the distinction
between the rational and the irrational. He viewed scientific
rationality as our major defence against the various conditions that
encourage witch hunts and similar outbursts of irrationality, with all
their attendant pain and terror. Butts saw himself as a pragmatic
realist, combining what he took to be the best aspects of logical
empiricism with a historically informed pragmatism, deeply
appreciative of the methods of science, trying to describe a kind of
rationality essential in the struggle to preserve human values.

This volume gathers previously unpublished essays and lectures with
some previously published, thematically related essays. It includes
essays and lectures on philosophical aspects of the European witch
hunt, on scientific rationality and methodology, and on the
relationships between science and philosophy exhibited in the writings
of such historically significant figures as Leibniz, D''Alembert, Hume,
Kant, Carnap and Kuhn.