Patterns of discovery : an inquiry into the conceptual foundations of science /
"This essay stresses philosophical aspects of microphysical thinking.... The approach of this essay is unusual. I have chosen not to isolate general philosophical issues and use the conclusions of such inquiries as lenses through which to view particle theory. Rather the reverse: the inadequacy...
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| Format: | Book |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge :
The Syndics of the Cambridge University Press,
1958.
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| Summary: | "This essay stresses philosophical aspects of microphysical thinking.... The approach of this essay is unusual. I have chosen not to isolate general philosophical issues and use the conclusions of such inquiries as lenses through which to view particle theory. Rather the reverse: the inadequacy of philosophical discussions of these subjects has inclined me to give a different priority. Particle theory will be the lens through which these perennial philosophical problems will be viewed. The first five chapters serve as accounts of scientific observation, of the interplay between facts and the notations in which they are expressed, of the 'theory-laden' character of causal talk, of the reasoning involved in forming a physical theory and of the function of law statements in physics. These chapters apply to all scientific inquiry, but they are written with the final chapter in mind. Any argument not applicable to microphysics has been held generally suspect; conversely, otherwise sound arguments have been regarded as established if they help one to understand the conceptual basis of elementary particle theory. The issue is not theory-using, but theory-finding; my concern is not with the testing of hypotheses, but with their discovery. Let us examine not how observation, facts and data are built up into general systems of physical explanation, but how these systems are built into our observations, and our appreciation of facts and data. Only this will make intelligible the disagreements about the interpretation of terms and symbols within quantum theory...."--Introduction. |
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| Physical Description: | ix, 240 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |