Menachem Fisch

Thomas Kuhn and Karl Popper are believed by many who study science to be the two key thinkers of the twentieth century. Each addressed the question of how scientific theories change, but they came to different conclusions. By turning our attention to ambiguity and indecision in science, Menachem Fisch, in Creatively Undecided, offers a new way to look at how scientific understandings change. Following Kuhn, Fisch argues that scientific practice depends on the framework in which it is conducted, but he also shows that those frameworks can be understood as the possible outcomes of the rational deliberation that Popper viewed as central to theory change. How can a scientist subject her standards to rational appraisal if that very act requires the use of those standards? The way out, Fisch argues, is by looking at the incentives scientists have to create alternative frameworks in the first place. Fisch argues that while science can only be transformed from within, by people who have standing in the field, criticism from the outside is essential. We may not be able to be sufficiently self-critical on our own, but trusted criticism from outside, even if resisted, can begin to change our perspective—at which point transformative self-criticism becomes a real option.

Toward a History and Philosophy of Scientific Agency

Creatively Undecided

Lecturer in the History and Philosophy of Science and Ideas Menachem Fisch

William Whewell was one of the more prolific and influential writers of early Victorian England. This study reconstructs the historical origins of his two major works and evaluates their philosophical claims, and critically appraises Whewell's mature philosophical position.

William Whewell, Philosopher of Science

Simon Schaffer

University Lecturer in History and Philosophy of Science Simon Schaffer

This collection of essays pays tribute to the Victorian intellectual, William Whewell, whose influence can be traced in fields as diverse as moral philosophy, mineralogy, architecture, the politics of education, physics and engineering.

Menachem Fisch

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