When we talk about living things, we often describe their parts as if they have purposes or goals or functions. Explanations like these are called teleological: they explain biological features in terms of what they are for. Most sciences explain the world without appealing to purposes or goals. So why is biology different?
Tag: Zerella
Thomas Kuhn, Paradigm Shifts, and Academic Rifts
Author: Michael Zerella Category: Philosophy of Science Word Count: 1000 This essay will discuss the important role played by Thomas Kuhn’s characterization of the scientific method in prompting on-going tension between two prominent schools of thought in academia: realism and constructivism. There are many subtle variations on these two schools, but they can broadly be construed … Continue reading Thomas Kuhn, Paradigm Shifts, and Academic Rifts
Karl Popper and Falsificationism
Author: Michael Zerella Category: Philosophy of Science Word Count: 1000 “A million successful experiments cannot prove a theory correct, but one failed experiment can prove a theory wrong.” Perhaps you’ve heard someone use this cliché to describe the scientific method as a tough-minded and unsentimental pursuit of an accurate understanding of nature. The sentiment has … Continue reading Karl Popper and Falsificationism
Laws of Nature
Author: Michael Zerella Category: Philosophy of Science Word Count: 1000 This essay will present the main reasons that scientists and philosophers of science have considered laws of nature to be an integral part of scientific knowledge. It will discuss some of the difficulties associated with the practical application of laws of nature, and will conclude … Continue reading Laws of Nature