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Excerpt from Nature of Science, and Other Essays
This book is an attempt to tackle a few of the most pressing problems in the foundations of science. The emphasis throughout is on the linguistic aspects of science and mathematics, and should be of particular interest to those who, though not scientists themselves, are concerned with the application of the most recent theories of syntax and semantics to the language of modern science.
Throughout his discussions, the author reinforces his earlier published views on the formalization of science. This method of approach has caused much discussion in the past, particularly as opposed to "intuitive" methods. When abstract, nonintuitive formulas, such as Maxwell's equations of electromagnetism, were first proposed as new axioms, some physicists endeavored to make them "intuitive" by constructing a "model," i.e., a way of representing electromagnetic microprocesses by an analogy to known macroprocesses, such as the movements of visible things. But it is important to bear in mind that the discovery of a model has only an aesthetic or heuristic value, and is not essential for the successful application of a scientific theory. As the special character of scientific theories tends to be given them more and more by mathematics, it may be assumed that the tendency towards formalization will increase. In this way we may arrive eventually at a unity of science embracing all known mathematical laws.
Sometimes the author indicates his standpoint independently of the conflicting positions which he is discussing, and sometimes he adopts the opinion of one of the disputants. Inevitably not everybody will agree with him entirely, but few can fail to be stimulated. Both philosophers and scientists can derive benefit from these essays, even though quantum theory has upset the foundations of science and there is no general agreement on the style of the new foundations. David Greenwood has illumined some of the most controversial areas of the philosophy of science, and has thereby performed a servict which should prove valuable and constructive.
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