On The Intertheoretic Competition Hypothesis

A commonplace thesis of the “new philosophy of science” is the view that the testing of a given theory is not a simple comparison of the theory with nature but also requires the comparison of the theory with competing theories. More specifically the version of the intertheoretic competition thesis t...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PSA (East Lansing, Mich.) Mich.), 1988, Vol.1988 (1), p.32-40
Main Author: Kline, A. David
Format: Article
Language:English
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Summary:A commonplace thesis of the “new philosophy of science” is the view that the testing of a given theory is not a simple comparison of the theory with nature but also requires the comparison of the theory with competing theories. More specifically the version of the intertheoretic competition thesis that shall be examined is as follows: (ITC) In addition to comparing a theory with nature, a necessary condition for the rejection of a theory is the acceptance of an alternative theory. It is Thomas Kuhn’s The Structure of Scientific Revolutions that is responsible for the widespread popularity of (ITC). 1,2 …a scientific theory is declared invalid only if an alternative candidate is available to take its place. No process yet disclosed by the historical study of scientific development at all resembles the methodological stereotype of falsification by direct comparison with nature. …the act of judgment that leads scientists to reject a previously accepted theory is always based upon more than a comparison of that theory with the world.
ISSN:0270-8647
2327-9486
DOI:10.1086/psaprocbienmeetp.1988.1.192966