Problem-solving, Research Traditions, and the Development of Scientific Fields

Abstract

If science is essentially a problem-solving activity, it stands to reason that a good part of the rationale behind the development and growth of new scientific fields (or subfields) is the generation of problem-solutions. I should like to argue that the origin and, especially, the development of new scientific fields is primarily a research procedure for solving existing unsolved problems and generating and solving new unsolved problems. By a scientific field I have in mind the following:A scientific field (F) has the following characteristics: (a) a given subject matter and (b) a data base about the subject matter, at least some of which is puzzling or problematic, (c) a set of problems arising from the puzzling subject matter (internal problems), (d) a set of problems arising from data in another field (applied or external problems), but thought solvable through appeal to the data base of F, (e) a set of techniques for expanding the data base, and (f) a set of theories or solutions to the internal problems.