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A New Program for Philosophy of Science?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Abstract

I contend that Janet Kourany's “A Philosophy of Science for the Twenty-First Century” contains three levels of projects: (1) a naturalistic project, (2) a critical project, and (3) a political project. The naturalistic project is already well established. The critical project is less valued and less established within the profession, but seems a worthy and achievable goal. The political project, I argue, takes one outside the professional pursuit of the philosophy of science. The critical project encompasses both the evaluation of scientific research programs and of empirical conclusions. I contend that the former is widely acknowledged as legitimate while the latter is unacceptable.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

The author wishes to thank Janet Kourany for initiating this exchange and the reviewer for Philosophy of Science who provided a conscientious reading and insightful comments.

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