Progress and Its Problems: Towards a Theory of Scientific by Larry Laudan

By Larry Laudan

"A booklet that shakes philosophy of technology to its roots. Laudan either destroys and creates. With specific, scathing criticisms, he assaults the 'pregnant confusions' in extant philosophies of technological know-how. The growth they espouse derives from strictly empirical standards, he complains, and this clashes with old facts. for this reason, Laudan constructs a treatment from old examples that includes not anything under the redefinition of medical rationality and growth . . . unusually, after this reshuffling, technological know-how nonetheless appears like a noble-and progressive-enterprise ... the dignity of Laudan's process is that it preserves medical rationality and growth within the presence of social effect. we will admit extra-scientific affects with out lapsing into whole relativism. . . a needs to for either observers and practitioners of science." 
--Physics Today
 
"A critique and colossal revision of the ancient theories of medical rationality and growth (Popper, Kuhn, Lakatos, Feyerabend, etc.). Laudan specializes in contextual challenge fixing effectiveness (carefully outlined) as a criterion for development, and expands the concept of 'paradigm' to a 'research tradition,' therefore offering a meta-empirical foundation for the commensurability of competing theories. From this attitude, Laudan indicates revised courses for heritage and philosophy of technology, the historical past of principles, and the sociology of technology. a great paintings, heavily argued, basically written, and greatly annotated, this publication becomes a greatly required textual content in intermediate courses."
--Choice

Show description

Read Online or Download Progress and Its Problems: Towards a Theory of Scientific Growth PDF

Similar history & philosophy books

Flesh Machine; Cyborgs, Designer Babies, and New Eugenic Consciousness

Having in other places explored the size of social and political keep watch over in digital tradition, the severe Arts Ensemble the following turns complete frontal in the direction of the physique, arguing that utopian grants of virtuality are easy distractions from the true undertaking: the deployment of biotechnologies upon the our bodies of voters within the carrier of the transnational order.

Landmark Experiments in Twentieth Century Physics

Physics is particularly a lot an experimental technology, yet too usually, scholars on the undergraduate point are usually not uncovered to the truth of experimental physics ― i. e. , what was once performed in a given scan, why it was once performed, the historical past of physics opposed to which the test used to be conducted and the adjustments in thought and data that resulted.

Ada, a life and a legacy

During this engrossing biography, Dorothy Stein strips away the various layers of fantasy to bare a narrative way more dramatic and interesting than past debts have indicated

The dark side of technology

The booklet is anxious with human development and the unforeseen effects of technological advances. It examines an enormous diversity of issues from medication to agriculture, together with electronics, communications, a world economic climate and a burgeoning inhabitants. summary: The publication is anxious with human growth and the unforeseen outcomes of technological advances.

Additional resources for Progress and Its Problems: Towards a Theory of Scientific Growth

Sample text

Jugular) vein has been punctured. The hole in the vein must be promptly sewn up with a needle and thread, whilst on the other side of the injured vessel a ligature must be made. After this the wound is to be dressed with the ordinary dressing of egg-albumen. There is no colour. The illustration closely resembles fig. 41, which is a repetition caused by the displacement of the rest of II,3 to f. 266r-v. As so often the artist has ensured striking parallelism in the leg movements of doctor and patient.

R. James thought that he was producing money from a bag, but it seems more likely that he is proffering magdalions which are mentioned in the preceding receipt for 'ointment of the Apostles' [I,4] and explained as 'une ronde confection' or cylindrical medicament which spicers call 'macdalions' and which are used for Image not available. Page 11 anointing bone and placing on the wound after suturing. This double illustration includes two surgical instruments and raises the interesting question of technical terminology in the original Latin and the vernacular translation.

No. 5 above)and loose bone thrown away. In fact the scraper is not illustrated here and this is probably because the Anglo-Norman translator botched the identification by writing 'un ostil cirugien que est apelé rubigo' ('a surgical instrument called a rubigo') which the artist not unnaturally found incomprehensible (rubigo means rust or blight), thus substituting another part of the operation, removal of a fragment of bone. This seems to offer a clear indication that the artist was following the Anglo-Norman text and not the Latin original.

Download PDF sample

Rated 4.84 of 5 – based on 16 votes