Scientific Method
What follows is a description of various views on inductive inference and methods for inferring general theories as they have developed from the scientific revolution to modern times. Later, the development of methods for discovering causal relationships will be discussed.
Modern Methodology
A strong influence on contemporary methodology is interdisciplinary research. In the twentieth century, the question of how we can use observations to attain empirical knowledge became the subject of research in a number of disciplines, such as statistics, econometrics, and computer science. Modern philosophy of method continues to contribute to and draw on developments in related disciplines.
Another strong influence on contemporary methodology arises from studies of the history of science, which captured the attention of philosophers because of the groundbreaking work of Thomas Kuhn (1922–1996) on the Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Kuhn argued that scientific textbook accounts of the history of science as a wholly progressive series of discoveries are false for scientific revolutions. His work has suggested that changes of method across revolutions undercut attempts to apply common standards to evaluate prerevolution and postrevolution theories.
Kuhn also criticized the methodological ideas of Karl Popper (1902–1994). Popper had asked the question of what distinguishes ("demarcates") scientific hypotheses from nonscientific hypotheses.
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