I’m in the process of reading Kuhn’s “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”. It’s interesting but it is quite dated.
Is there a 21st cenutry book on the history and philosophy of science that you would recommend?
Maybe there are more up-to-date books, but it is hard for me to imagine any book having more insight per page than SSR. It is also incomparably well-written; even if you don’t believe any of the philosophical claims, it is worthwhile simply as a lesson in how to write engagingly about scientific topics.
It’s not exactly on the same topic, but I liked The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur. When I read it, at first it seemed like he was stating the obvious, but over time I’ve thought about it more, and realized that a lot of people don’t understand what is in his book, and that his framework is more useful than many others.
I haven’t read it, and I’m not sure it’s really on the same topic, but a lot of people like the Golem (de) by Collins and Pinch (1993/1998).
How can a work on the history and philosophy of science be outdated? I suppose new information could rewrite history, but I don’t think that happened. Philosophy is more likely to change, particularly as scientists respond to Kuhn, but largely, they didn’t.
I suppose new information could rewrite history, but I don’t think that happened.
New information and representations and analysis of old information are both possible. I don’t remember if Kuhn himself focused on the case of Galileo, but a lot of people took him to be a paradigmatic case (sorry!) and Feyerabend undermined a lot of that through close re-examination of primary sources, in support of his own particular philosophy of science.
How can a work on the history and philosophy of science be outdated?
Mainly 50 years of new history happened. People came up with concepts like “evidence-based medicine” and a bunch of concepts about how science is supposed to progress.
Philosophy is more likely to change, particularly as scientists respond to Kuhn, but largely, they didn’t.
After dealing a bit more with HPS (history and philosophy of science) I get the impression like logical positivism simple ignored the arguments made against it. The New Atheist crowd simply reject criticism of logical positivism as obstruce postmodernism but I never heard someone actually engage the kind of arguments that Kuhn makes.
After I wrote the post I found a lectures series by Hakob Barseghyan. He makes a lot of sense and yet, for some reason HPS isn’t in popular culture.
I don’t understand why HPS doesn’t get taught in high schools.
People came up with concepts like “evidence-based medicine”
That’s not a new concept. That’s a straightforward application of the scientific method (and some common sense) to the area which stubbornly resisted and continues to resist it.
That’s a straightforward application of the scientific method (and some common sense) to the area which stubbornly resisted and continues to resist it.
I think both Kuhn and Barseghyan would say that there isn’t a single thing that’s “the scientific method” and that believing in such a thing isn’t defensible when you look at the history of science.
I’m in the process of reading Kuhn’s “The Structure of Scientific Revolutions”. It’s interesting but it is quite dated. Is there a 21st cenutry book on the history and philosophy of science that you would recommend?
Maybe there are more up-to-date books, but it is hard for me to imagine any book having more insight per page than SSR. It is also incomparably well-written; even if you don’t believe any of the philosophical claims, it is worthwhile simply as a lesson in how to write engagingly about scientific topics.
Yes, it’s the book where I highlited the most things in my kindle.
I don’t want to discourage anybody reading it. At the same time I want to know what to read as a follow-up.
It’s not exactly on the same topic, but I liked The Nature of Technology by Brian Arthur. When I read it, at first it seemed like he was stating the obvious, but over time I’ve thought about it more, and realized that a lot of people don’t understand what is in his book, and that his framework is more useful than many others.
I haven’t read it, and I’m not sure it’s really on the same topic, but a lot of people like the Golem (de) by Collins and Pinch (1993/1998).
How can a work on the history and philosophy of science be outdated? I suppose new information could rewrite history, but I don’t think that happened. Philosophy is more likely to change, particularly as scientists respond to Kuhn, but largely, they didn’t.
New information and representations and analysis of old information are both possible. I don’t remember if Kuhn himself focused on the case of Galileo, but a lot of people took him to be a paradigmatic case (sorry!) and Feyerabend undermined a lot of that through close re-examination of primary sources, in support of his own particular philosophy of science.
Mainly 50 years of new history happened. People came up with concepts like “evidence-based medicine” and a bunch of concepts about how science is supposed to progress.
After dealing a bit more with HPS (history and philosophy of science) I get the impression like logical positivism simple ignored the arguments made against it. The New Atheist crowd simply reject criticism of logical positivism as obstruce postmodernism but I never heard someone actually engage the kind of arguments that Kuhn makes.
After I wrote the post I found a lectures series by Hakob Barseghyan. He makes a lot of sense and yet, for some reason HPS isn’t in popular culture. I don’t understand why HPS doesn’t get taught in high schools.
That’s not a new concept. That’s a straightforward application of the scientific method (and some common sense) to the area which stubbornly resisted and continues to resist it.
I think both Kuhn and Barseghyan would say that there isn’t a single thing that’s “the scientific method” and that believing in such a thing isn’t defensible when you look at the history of science.
http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/thomas-kuhn/#6.4