The Historiography of Scientific Revolutions: A Philosophical Reflection

Abstract

Scientific revolution has been one of the most controversial topics in the history and philosophy of science. Yet it has been no consensus on what is the best unit of analysis in the historiography of scientific revolutions. Nor is there a consensus on what best explains the nature of scientific revolutions. This chapter provides a critical examination of the historiography of scientific revolutions. It begins with a brief introduction to the historical development of the concept of scientific revolution, followed by an overview of the five main philosophical accounts of scientific revolutions. It then challenges two historiographical assumptions of the philosophical analyses of scientific revolutions.

The extended evolutionary synthesis: An integrated historical and philosophical examination

“…This is too liberal. The pluralistic stance implied by the functional approach is more restrictive or stronger: we ought to engage in actively cultivating multiple useful exemplary practices.11 For a philosophical and historiographical analysis of scientific revolutions, seeShan (2023).…”