In the last two posts, the emphasis has been primarily on the nature of science itself as it has developed, especially in the 19th and 20th centuries—some sketching of its background, how it might be defined, what its characteristics are, how it operates, what form its results might take. And while I’ve already tiptoed…

               In the previous post I tried to establish the lack of clarity or agreement on the characterization of contemporary science. Now, as part of the background against which I will try to sketch some reasonable and inclusive account of the elements at work in the efforts of science to understand the natural world and…

And so, with the “catless grin” hovering over us like an omen, let’s begin this journey with some background. Since the 19th century, science had affected the way people thought about themselves and their world.  Classical science, expressed especially in the monumental work of Newton, was confident of the essential finality of its achievements. Most…