PHILOSOPHY OF SCIENCE: FROM DOMINION TO ANARCHY

DOMINION or Realist Philosophy of Science

• All events are discrete and classifiable (observation need not be theory dependent)
• Human observation is limited only by capacity
• Ultimately, there is a method of validation

The Problem of Induction

FALSIFICATIONISM (Popper)

• Knowledge grows by theoretic advance and testing.
• Theories that withstand bold and novel test are worthy theories

KUHN'S PARADIGMS (Sociology of Science)

• Pre-science
• Normal science (clear disciplinary matrix)
• Crisis
• Revolution
• New Normal science
• New crises

RESEARCH PROGRAMMES (Lakatos)

• Academic fields need to have theories large enough to make the field coherent.
• Same basic idea as Normal science but preserves Popperian notion of cumulative nature of science.

INSTRUMENTALISM

• I don't care if you think there is a reality or not, my theory works.

EPISTOMOLOGICAL ANARCHY (Feyerabend)

• Science is just another faith (denomination).
• Scientization of politics and the politicalization of science.