History of science and epistemology are two fundamental topics in the process of construction of scientific knowledge. Although they both look back along the timeline, the interesting question of delving into contemporary epistemology arises. This way, it is not only the pure research itself that is of interest but also the philosophical approach to it. The epistemology of science is, then, no longer a subject of study relating to the past but becomes, factually, an essential complement to the research of the present. This is where McCain and Kampourakis come in, pioneering a series of discussions that extend contemporary science beyond the experimental/theoretical moment.

What is Scientific Knowledge? An Introduction to Contemporary Epistemology of Science is, in the intentions of its authors, an introductory text to enable scholars to approach various questions from the perspective of the philosophy of science. The text both is designed from a didactic point of view and can be used as a stand-alone textbook for a course in the philosophy of science oriented towards contemporary epistemology – and as an interesting collection of different starting points for other epistemological developments, in several directions. The book presents a series of nineteen in-depth chapters divided into four key areas: ‘How is scientific knowledge generated?' ‘What is the nature of scientific knowledge?' ‘Does bias affect our access to scientific knowledge?' And ‘Is scientific knowledge limited?’

The first area is concerned with investigating the processes, the people and their features through which scientific knowledge is generated; the second brings together chapters that describe what the characteristics of scientific knowledge might be; the third area deals with a particularly significant point, namely how bias can play a decisive role in the researcher and the consequent construction of scientific knowledge; and the fourth and final area investigates what limits can be placed on the path towards scientific knowledge. The structure of the text is very coherent and well organized, so that the volume can be used effectively as a whole, considering only one of the four parts, or focusing the researcher's attention on one chapter in particular.

In the panorama of the history of science and epistemology in particular, McCain and Kampourakis's collection constitutes an extremely interesting proposal for the development of an epistemology of contemporary research. The authors successfully take up the challenge of tackling this topic and offer the public a text that can usher in a fruitful trend of philosophical–scientific investigations. Precisely because of its deliberately introductory nature to the question of the epistemology of science, this volume is recommended both to students of philosophy or non-experts and to all those who, working in the fields of science, are interested in approaching and deepening the fundamental debates on scientific knowledge.