Re: [xmca] Units of Scientiic Achievement

[Tony Whitson <twhitson@UDel.Edu>]

Let me clarify that I'm not dismissing evolutionary models of change in 
scientific disciplines. Stephen Toulmin's (1972) _Human Understanding: The 
Collective Use and Evolution of Concepts_ has a great deal to recommend 
it. I just wanted challenge an image species differentiation that seems to 
suggest too much distance among distinctive species. On the molecular 
level, I think we have more in common with yeast cells than the sciences 
in our time have with some pre-revolutionary "sciences."

On Mon, 20 Jun 2011, Tony Whitson wrote:

> Andy, I don't think the analogy with evolution of biological species can 
> really work.
>
> There is tremendous kinship between us and chimps; and the commonalities 
> among us, chimps and our common ancestors is unlike any commonality that you 
> could point to between Ptolomaic and Copernican astronomy, or "chemistry" 
> pre/post oxygenation, etc.
>
> On Tue, 21 Jun 2011, Andy Blunden wrote:
>
> > But the metaphor Michael is calling on, Carol, as I see it is "normal 
> > science" is the incremental, gradual adaptation of a species to its niche, 
> > and remaining much the same for millions of years, and on the other hand, 
> > when a species is under real pressure, you get exactly the process Kuhn 
> > describes in science: rapid diversification and die-outs, with a 
> > distinctly new species species emerging at the end. It's called 
> > "punctuated evolutuion" isn't it?
> >
> > I find the idea of a formation perfecting itself into extinction 
> > attractive.
> > As to "Intelligent design" - this has nothing to do with proof or 
> > disproof, Carol, but Faith.
> >
> > Andy
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