The unity of science
International Studies in the Philosophy of Science 4 (1):17-31 (1990)
Abstract
The paper addresses the question of how the unity of science can adequately be characterized. A mere classification of scientific fields and disciplines does not express the unity of science unless it is supplemented with a perspective that establishes a systematic coherence among the different branches of science. Four ideas of this kind are discussed. Namely, the unity of scientific language, of scientific laws, of scientific method and of science as a practical‐operational enterprise. Whereas reference to the unity of scientific language and of scientific laws does not provide a viable basis for the unity of science, the methodological and practical unity might. The unity of science can be characterized by the way in which methodological criteria enter into the assessment or evaluation of theories, and, moreover, by a transdisciplin‐ary approach to problems. Accordingly, the unity of science is not expressed by theoretical uniformity but by the unity of scientific practice.Author's Profile
DOI
10.1080/02698599008573343
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Citations of this work
Locke and Leibniz on the Balance of Reasons.Markku Roinila - 2013 - In Dana Riesenfeld & Giovanni Scarafile (eds.), Perspectives on Theory of Controversies and the Ethics of Communication. Springer. pp. 49-57.
On Leszek Nowak’s Conception of the Unity of Science.Mateusz Wajzer - forthcoming - Foundations of Science:1-18.
References found in this work
Die physikalische Sprache als Universalsprache der Wissenschaft.Rudolf Carnap - 1931 - Erkenntnis 2 (1):432--65.
From a Logical Point of View 9 Logico-Philosophical Essays.W. V. Quine - 1953 - Harvard University Press.