Science and relativism
by Larry Laudan · first published 1990
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3HN commenters
2013–2018first – last mentioned
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I agree with you that Kuhn is still worth reading, but perhaps a better intro to Philosophy of Science can be found in Laudan's "Science and Relativism". He is not dismissive of Kuhnian-style relativism, but he is critical of it and helps you see how it fits into the larger debate. At least that's what I remember. It's been a while since college :/…
on “To an alarming degree, science is not self-correcting” ↗…MacIntyre's "After Virtue" should be on the list for any one who want to study Moral Philosophy today. Along with Popper and Kuhn's works on that list, read Larry Laudan's "Progress and its problems" and "Science and Relativism: some key controversies in the philosophy of science". This goes under Philosophy of Sciences.
on “Eminent Philosophers Name the Most Important Philosophy Books from 1950-2000” ↗…positive instance. Mathematical models generate "positive instances". A non-adhoc hypothesis generates confirming instances, a special type of positive instances. For more, pp. 61-62, Larry Laudan's "Science and Relativism: some key controversies in the philosophy of science. Lets look at a hypothesis that says "All swans are white". One keeps on doing field work, saying that 1001th swan is white, 1002th swan is white,…
on “Beware “mathiness”: Algebra and data to reinforce ideological preconceptions” ↗…for any one who want to study Moral Philosophy today. “After Virtue” is a legit recommendation. > Along with Popper and Kuhn's works on that list, read Larry Laudan's "Progress and its problems" and "Science and Relativism: some key controversies in the philosophy of science". This goes under Philosophy of Sciences. I demur. Comparing two giants of the Philosophy of Science (nb: not plural) to a relative unknown. I would…
on “Eminent Philosophers Name the Most Important Philosophy Books from 1950-2000” ↗