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Progress as a Demarcation Criterion for the Sciences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 March 2022

Paul M. Quay
Paul M. Quay*
Affiliation:
Saint Louis University
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Abstract

It is argued that two aspects of the progress of mature science characterize, at least in combination, no other fields; hence, that these aspects can usefully serve as a demarcation criterion. Scientific progress is: (1) cumulative, regardless of crisis or revolution, from the viewpoint of concrete applications; (2) capable of unrestricted growth towards universal coerciveness of argument and evidence. Before these aspects of progress are discussed, some clarifications are made and corrections offered to Kuhn's view of the nature of scientific progress across revolutions; afterwards, the suggested criterion is used to distinguish, concretely, various fields from science. Finally, it is shown that the “style” of scientific progress is not a useful demarcation criterion.

Type
Research Article
Information
Philosophy of Science , Volume 41 , Issue 2 , June 1974 , pp. 154 - 170
Copyright
Copyright © 1974 by The Philosophy of Science Association

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References

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