A Mathematical–Observational Duality

doi:10.1117/3.2263362.ch5

Book: The Evolution of Scientific Knowledge: From Certainty to Uncertainty

Author(s): Edward R. Dougherty

Published: 2016

https://doi.org/10.1117/3.2263362.ch5

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Abstract

When discussing the enormity of the transformation wrought by Galileo and Newton, Kline states, “What science has done, then, is to sacrifice physical intelligibility for the sake of mathematical description and mathematical prediction.” [Kline, 1985] Sacrificing physical intelligibility does not involve an abandonment of knowledge; on the contrary, it involves the recognition that everyday human categories concerning Nature—those that arise from ordinary interaction with the physical world, such as pushing and pulling—are, at best, only suitable for describing simple phenomenal relations.

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CHAPTER 5
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