The Nature of Science - The Apparent vs Actual (original) (raw)
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Towards a Refined Depiction of Nature of Science
Science & Education, 2019
This study considers the short list of Nature of Science (NOS) features frequently published and widely known in the science education discourse. It is argued that these features were oversimplified and a refinement of the claims may enrich or sometimes reverse them. The analysis shows the need to address the range of variation in each particular aspect of NOS and to illustrate these variations with actual events from the history of science in order to adequately present the subject. Another implication of the proposal is the highlighting of the central role of science educators who, facing various strong claims of researchers in education and philosophy of science, often have difficulty in making a choice of what to teach about NOS. It is suggested that a representative variation with regard to the traditional NOS claims may be appropriate for a genuine understanding of the subject. In that, using the disciplineculture structure of the fundamental theories of physics and addressing the plurality of scientific methods may be helpful in the actual teaching and learning of NOS.
in: World Conference on Science. Science for the Twenty-First Century: A New Commitment (ed. by A.M. Cetto), Paris: UNESCO, 2000, pp. 52-56, 2000
Einstein, Science and Philosophy
Philosophia Scientiae, 2009
Cet article a pour objectif de présenter un compte-rendu accessible de l'immense héritage philosophique de l'oeuvre scientifique d'Einstein. Einstein n'était pas un philosophe de métier, mais son raisonnement en sciences physiques portait en soi des conséquences philosophiques qu'il était prêt à explorer. En explorant les conséquences philosophiques de ses travaux scientifiques Einstein s'inscrit dans la démarche de physiciens tels que Newton, Mach, Planck et Poincaré. Einstein déduisait les conséquences philosophiques de la problématique que son travail de physicien faisait surgir. Ces conséquences philosophiques vont de la métaphysique à la philosophie de la physique. Dans une certaine mesure, ces conséquences philosophiques peuvent être considérées comme étant des réponses à des questions philosophiques. On peut noter en particulier, ses vues sur l'aspect représentationnel des théories scientifiques et son insistance, à leur sujet, sur la notion de contraintes. Les travaux sur Einstein ont souvent négligé l'étude des contraintes en philosophie des sciences.
The nature of scientific theory
CURRENT SCIENCE, 2012
This article explores Einstein’s views on the nature of scientific theory, and is directed towards students and researchers in the physical sciences and engineering. A majority of scientific theories belong to the constructive type whose axiomatic foundation consists of empirically observed principles and imaginary or speculative hypotheses. On this base is erected a logical superstructure (e.g. calculus) whose object is to make concrete predictions which can be tested against experiential data. A favourable comparison will point to validity of the hypotheses while an unfavourable one will require their revision. A constructive theory holds temporarily and will eventually be replaced with a more comprehensive approach. In contrast, in a theory of principle, the axiomatic foundation consists solely of principles of nature that are derived from human experience. Unless these principles are found to be false in the future, the security of such a theory is guaranteed. An example of a constructive theory is the kinetic theory of gases while classical thermodynamics and the theory of relativity belong to the class of principle theories.
The Challenge of Practice: Einstein, Technological Development and Conceptual Innovation
The pioneers of the scientific revolution claimed that the developing system of knowledge they envisioned would be distinguished by its practical usefulness. Galileo Galilei, Francis Bacon, and René Descartes agreed that the newly conceived endeavor of unveiling nature’s secrets by means of uncovering its lawful regularities would engender practical progress, too. The novel and revolutionary idea was that knowledge of the causes and the laws of nature would pave the way toward technological innovation. As Bacon claimed, inventions bring about supreme benefit to humankind, and this aim is best served by investigating the processes underlying the operations of nature. Knowledge about nature’s workings makes it possible to take advantage of its forces [1, I.§129]. In the same vein, Descartes conceived of technology as an application of this novel type of knowledge. The speculative and superficial claims that had made up the erudition of the past had remained barren and had failed to be...