Abstract

The Author(s) 2011. This article is published with open access at Springerlink.com In the preface to Models of discovery and creativity, Thomas Nickles pitches the book as the continuation of a research program that began unofficially at a conference on scientific discovery in the late 1970’s. The project is defined by its interdisciplinary nature, applying the combined resources of philosophy, social science, and cognitive science to the complex issues surrounding scientific concepts, practice, and methodology. Nickles offers the current volume as an update on the status of the program. All aspects of the project are present in the collected papers, which showcase an impressive array of analytical skills and historical expertise. If read as a unified project, the aims of the contributors are extremely ambitious—the present volume suggests no less than an attempt to create a crossdisciplinary methodology for the analysis of scientific creativity and conceptual change. Analytical tools range from formal models of reasoning (Magnani, Sintonen), evolutionary computation (Nickles), and philosophical and cognitive theories of concepts (Brown, Nersessian); to detailed research into the daily experimental activities of scientists (Holmes), and analysis of personal cooperation and competition amongst researchers in contexts of discovery (Werner). The variety of scientific fields and episodes discussed borders on astounding, ranging from the discoveries of nuclear fission (Andersen) and messenger RNA (Darden), to the construction of concepts and proofs in geometry and algebra (Glas). At first glance, it would seem impossible that experts in such a variety of fields should be employing anything like a unified methodology, or approaching a unified goal. It might be suspected that the volume is simply a grouping of a variety of really independent projects analyzing science from the distinct fields of philosophy of science, cognitive science, and science studies. However, there is a shared

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.