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Kuhn's paradigm or Hintikka's calculus: Locating the debate in critical theory

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Date Issued:
2002
Summary:
Thomas Kuhn's popular 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions failed to convince historians and philosophers of science of its validity as a theory. Instead, it became an overnight success in the humanities. New left-wing politics developed in academia rejecting not only science, but also traditional humanities, fueling an ideological shift away from academics to social politics. Besides the charge that Kuhn confuses history and sociology of science with logic and philosophy, inherent ambiguity and contradiction defy an accurate interpretation of the book. Critics of Kuhns' theory include Jaakko Hintikka, who maintains that an important but overlooked issue concerns what he calls the one-world linguistic view (lingua universalis) vs. the language as calculus view (calculus ratiocinator). Feted by the humanities as unimpeachable confirmation that the methods and theories of science were socially constructed, Revolutions helped justify relativism, attesting to undue dependence on reason as a culturally hegemonious Western practice.
Title: Kuhn's paradigm or Hintikka's calculus: Locating the debate in critical theory.
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Name(s): Hildreth, Donna L.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Martin, Thomas L., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 2002
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 128 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Thomas Kuhn's popular 1962 book The Structure of Scientific Revolutions failed to convince historians and philosophers of science of its validity as a theory. Instead, it became an overnight success in the humanities. New left-wing politics developed in academia rejecting not only science, but also traditional humanities, fueling an ideological shift away from academics to social politics. Besides the charge that Kuhn confuses history and sociology of science with logic and philosophy, inherent ambiguity and contradiction defy an accurate interpretation of the book. Critics of Kuhns' theory include Jaakko Hintikka, who maintains that an important but overlooked issue concerns what he calls the one-world linguistic view (lingua universalis) vs. the language as calculus view (calculus ratiocinator). Feted by the humanities as unimpeachable confirmation that the methods and theories of science were socially constructed, Revolutions helped justify relativism, attesting to undue dependence on reason as a culturally hegemonious Western practice.
Identifier: 9780493912813 (isbn), 12936 (digitool), FADT12936 (IID), fau:9808 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2002.
Subject(s): Kuhn, Thomas S
Hintikka, Jaakko,--1929-
Critical theory
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12936
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.