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LEADER 00000cam a2200229   4500 
001    u44316 
003    SIRSI 
008    171101s2015    sz a     b    001 0 eng u 
020    9783319175959 
049    JURF 
050 00 Q175 .|bB2255 2015 
100 1  Barseghyan, Hakob 
245 14 The laws of scientific change /|cHakob Barseghyan. 
260    Cham :|bSpringer,|c2015  
300    (xvi, 275 pages) :|billustrations (some color) ;|c25 cm. 
504    Includes bibliographical references and indexes. 
505    Acknowledgements -- Introduction -- PART I: METATHEORY -- 
       Chapter 1: Scope -- Chapter 2: Possibility -- Chapter 3: 
       Assessment -- PART II: THEORY -- Chapter 4: Axioms -- 
       Chapter 5: Theorems -- Conclusion -- Appendix: Some Open 
       Questions -- Bibliography -- Legend. 
520    This book systematically creates a general descriptive 
       theory of scientific change that explains the mechanics of
       changes in both scientific theories and the methods of 
       their assessment. It was once believed that, while 
       scientific theories change through time, their change 
       itself is governed by a fixed method of science. Nowadays 
       we know that there is no such thing as an unchangeable 
       method of science; the criteria employed by scientists in 
       theory evaluation also change through time. But if that is
       so, how and why do theories and methods change? Are there 
       any general laws that govern this process, or is the 
       choice of theories and methods completely arbitrary and 
       random? Contrary to the widespread opinion, the book 
       argues that scientific change is indeed a law-governed 
       process and that there can be a general descriptive theory
       of scientific change. It does so by first presenting meta-
       theoretical issues, divided into chapters on the scope, 
       possibility and assessment of theory of scientific change.
       It then builds a theory about the general laws that govern
       the process of scientific change, and goes into detail 
       about the axioms and theorems of the theory 
650  0 Science|xPhilosophy 
650  0 Philosophy of Science