The Persistence of Epistemic Objects Through Scientific Change |
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Authors: | Hasok Chang |
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Institution: | (1) Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RH, UK |
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Abstract: | Why do some epistemic objects persist despite undergoing serious changes, while others go extinct in similar situations? Scientists
have often been careless in deciding which epistemic objects to retain and which ones to eliminate; historians and philosophers
of science have been on the whole much too unreflective in accepting the scientists’ decisions in this regard. Through a re-examination
of the history of oxygen and phlogiston, I will illustrate the benefits to be gained from challenging and disturbing the commonly
accepted continuities and discontinuities in the lives of epistemic objects. I will also outline two key consequences of such
re-thinking. First, a fresh view on the (dis)continuities in key epistemic objects is apt to lead to informative revisions
in recognized periods and trends in the history of science. Second, recognizing sources of continuity leads to a sympathetic
view on extinct objects, which in turn problematizes the common monistic tendency in science and philosophy; this epistemological
reorientation allows room for more pluralism in scientific practice itself. |
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