Kuhn vs. Popper: The Struggle for the Soul of Science (Revolutions in Science) - Hardcover

Fuller, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0231134282 ISBN 13: 9780231134286

Publisher: Columbia University Press, 2004

Synopsis

Thomas Kuhn's Structure of Scientific Revolutions has sold over a million copies in more than twenty languages and has remained one of the ten most cited academic works for the past half century. In contrast, Karl Popper's seminal book The Logic of Scientific Discovery has lapsed into relative obscurity. Although the two men debated the nature of science only once, the legacy of this encounter has dominated intellectual and public discussions on the topic ever since.

Almost universally recognized as the modern watershed in the philosophy of science, Kuhn's relativistic vision of shifting paradigms―which asserted that science was just another human activity, like art or philosophy, only more specialized―triumphed over Popper's more positivistic belief in science's revolutionary potential to falsify society's dogmas. But has this victory been beneficial for science? Steve Fuller argues that not only has Kuhn's dominance had an adverse impact on the field but both thinkers have been radically misinterpreted in the process. This debate raises a vital question: Can science remain an independent, progressive force in society, or is it destined to continue as the technical wing of the military-industrial complex? Drawing on original research―including the Kuhn archives at MIT―Fuller offers a clear account of "Kuhn vs. Popper" and what it will mean for the future of scientific inquiry.

About this title

Book Description:

Although Thomas Kuhn and Karl Popper debated the nature of science only once, the legacy of this encounter has dominated intellectual and public discussions on the topic ever since. Kuhn's relativistic vision of science as just another human activity, like art or philosophy, triumphed over Popper's more positivistic belief in revolutionary discoveries and the superiority of scientific provability. Steve Fuller argues that not only has Kuhn's dominance had an adverse impact on the field but both thinkers have been radically misinterpreted in the process.

About the Author:

Steve Fuller is professor of sociology at the University of Warwick, England, and the author of Thomas Kuhn: A Philosophical History for Our Times.

About this edition

• Publisher: Columbia University Press
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0231134282
• ISBN 13: 9780231134286
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 160