CO SCI 136 Lecture Notes - Lecture 7: Relativism, Pragmatism, Pyrrho
Document Summary
The rise of scientific approach can be summarised as a shift in balance from deductive reasoning to inductive reasoning. Before the scientific revolution it was generally accepted that only deductive reasoning led to necessary truth. Men of science at first tried to convince their audience that the new way of thinking was very close to traditional deductive reasoning and demonstration (galilei, early newton) Gradually natural philosophers started to argue that inductive reasoning could lead to conclusions as probable as truth. When facts were collected in large numbers and without prejudice. When theories led to new verifiable predictions. Whewell and comte further pointed out that there is no clear distinction between observation and idea, between fact and theory. They are closely interconnected and influenced by the other. As a result of the success of science most of the initial doubts about whether inductive reasoning could lead to true conclusions were swept under the carpet towards the end of the 19th century.
