Nancy Cartwright (1944–) is an American philosopher of science and a research methodologist. Her joint role as philosopher and methodologist is recognised in both communities; she is a Fellow of both the British Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences, and in October 2018, the Philosophy of Science Association awarded her the lifetime achievement award for her contribution to Philosophy of Science. This entry discusses Cartwright’s career and works, including early and more recent contributions, especially those criticizing randomised controlled trials (RCTs) as the methodological gold standard.
Early Works
Cartwright began her career in philosophy of the natural sciences, mostly physics. She was part of the famous Stanford School, a group of philosophers of science who taught at Stanford University at various points and were methodologically committed ...
Research Methods