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Critical Appraisal of Physical Science as a Human Enterprise

Dynamics of Scientific Progress

  • Book
  • © 2009

Overview

Authors:
  1. Mansoor Niaz

    1. Epistemology of Science Group, Department of Chemistry, Universidad de Oriente, Cumaná, Venezuela

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  • Presents historical reconstructions that are very different from textbook presentations
  • Includes a wide range of historical episodes covering almost 300 years
  • Provides guidelines for students, teachers and researchers for further research
  • Understands science as a human enterprise

Part of the book series: Contemporary Trends and Issues in Science Education (CTISE, volume 36)

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Table of contents (14 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xiv
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  2. Introduction

    Pages 1-7

  3. Quantitative Imperative Versus the Imperative of Presuppositions

    Pages 9-26

  4. Understanding Scientific Progress: From Duhem to Lakatos

    Pages 27-43

  5. Kinetic Theory: Maxwell's Presuppositions

    Pages 45-53

  6. Periodic Table of the Chemical Elements: From Mendeleev to Moseley

    Pages 55-73

  7. Foundations of Modern Atomic Theory: Thomson, Rutherford, and Bohr

    Pages 75-95

  8. Determination of the Elementary Electrical Charge: Millikan and Ehrenhaft

    Pages 97-119

  9. Paradox of the Photoelectric Effect: Einstein and Millikan

    Pages 121-126

  10. Bending of Light in the 1919 Eclipse Experiments: Einstein and Eddington

    Pages 127-137

  11. Lewis's Covalent Bond: From Transfer of Electrons to Sharing of Electrons

    Pages 139-148

  12. Quantum Mechanics: From Bohr to Bohm

    Pages 149-157

  13. Wave–Particle Duality: De Broglie, Einstein, and Schrödinger

    Pages 159-165

  14. Searching for Quarks: Perl's Philosophy of Speculative Experiments

    Pages 167-174

  15. Conclusion: Inductive Method as a Chimera

    Pages 175-186

  16. Back Matter

    Pages 187-215
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Keywords

About this book

It is generally believed that doing science means accumulating empirical data with no or little reference to the interpretation of the data based on the scientist’s th- retical framework or presuppositions. Holton (1969a) has deplored the widely accepted myth (experimenticism) according to which progress in science is presented as the inexorable result of the pursuit of logically sound conclusions from un- biguous experimental data. Surprisingly, some of the leading scientists themselves (Millikan is a good example) have contributed to perpetuate the myth with respect to modern science being essentially empirical, that is carefully tested experim- tal facts (free of a priori conceptions), leading to inductive generalizations. Based on the existing knowledge in a field of research a scientist formulates the guiding assumptions (Laudan et al. , 1988), presuppositions (Holton, 1978, 1998) and “hard core” (Lakatos, 1970) of the research program that constitutes the imperative of presuppositions, which is not abandoned in the face of anomalous data. Laudan and his group consider the following paraphrase of Kant by Lakatos as an important guideline: philosophy of science without history of science is empty. Starting in the 1960s, this “historical school” has attempted to redraw and replace the positivist or logical empiricist image of science that dominated for the first half of the twentieth century. Among other aspects, one that looms large in these studies is that of “guiding assumptions” and has considerable implications for the main thesis of this monograph (Chapter 2).

Reviews

From the reviews:

“The book is organized in 14 chapters and includes references, an author index and a subject index. … The book does an excellent job in brining to the foreground the complexity that surrounds the development of ideas in science. … Overall, the book is a valuable contribution in illustrating a face of science that is often ignored. … The book will be useful for academics, researchers and students in history, philosophy and education of science.” (Sibel Erduran, Science & Education, June, 2010)

“This 14-chapter book devotes 10 chapters to historical episodes of scientific discovery and theory development in the physical sciences. … for students of history and philosophy of science (HPS) and science education, this volume reports on important physical science episodes in the application of HPS to science education. … Niaz’s monograph is a good source for gaining insights into how history of science influenced philosophy of science.” (Richard A. Duschl,Studies in Science Education, Vol. 47 (1), March, 2011)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Epistemology of Science Group, Department of Chemistry, Universidad de Oriente, Cumaná, Venezuela

    Mansoor Niaz

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