The Structure of Scientific Theories

Rating:
Summary: The Record of the Sea Change in the Philosohy of Science
Review: The review guidelines say nothing should be "time-sensitive" and this book is timeless. Given that the subject matter needs to be pondered (vs. skimmed) it is remarkably well written and very readable. A major change in the Philosophy of Science occurred in 1976. The prior fifty years had been dominated by the idea that human language either represented mathematical and logical descriptions of the world or it was meaningless. Yet, even the most precise attempts to describe the world in scientific terms continued to run afoul of problems, defying attempts of brilliant minds to provide a solution. This book documents the era, its end, and the start of the new era of thought. At a Symposium at the University of Illinois, of which this book contains the collected papers, the great Philosophers and Historians of Science met and declared the work of the last five decades to be a failure. Suppe gives an overview of that describes the decades-long debate and lays out the new directions that the participants decided should be explored. As scientific discovery accelerates, understanding the principles of discovery and description of science becomes increasingly important. The second edition, here cited, has provided the editor with a chance to review the initial articles and make clarifications as needed.

Rating:
Summary: The Record of the Sea Change in the Philosohy of Science
Review: The review guidelines say nothing should be "time-sensitive" and this book is timeless. Given that the subject matter needs to be pondered (vs. skimmed) it is remarkably well written and very readable. A major change in the Philosophy of Science occurred in 1976. The prior fifty years had been dominated by the idea that human language either represented mathematical and logical descriptions of the world or it was meaningless. Yet, even the most precise attempts to describe the world in scientific terms continued to run afoul of problems, defying attempts of brilliant minds to provide a solution. This book documents the era, its end, and the start of the new era of thought. At a Symposium at the University of Illinois, of which this book contains the collected papers, the great Philosophers and Historians of Science met and declared the work of the last five decades to be a failure. Suppe gives an overview of that describes the decades-long debate and lays out the new directions that the participants decided should be explored. As scientific discovery accelerates, understanding the principles of discovery and description of science becomes increasingly important. The second edition, here cited, has provided the editor with a chance to review the initial articles and make clarifications as needed.