Patterns of Discovery An Inquiry into the Conceptual Foundations of Science [Paperback]

In this 1958 book Professor Hanson turns to an equally important but comparatively neglected subject, the philosophical aspects of research and discovery.Philosophers of science have given considerable attention to the logic of completed scientific systems. In this book Professor Hanson turns to an equally important but comparatively neglected subject, the philosophical aspects of research and discovery.Philosophers of science have given considerable attention to the logic of completed scientific systems. In this book Professor Hanson turns to an equally important but comparatively neglected subject, the philosophical aspects of research and discovery.Philosophers of science have given considerable attention to the logic of completed scientific systems. In this 1958 book, Professor Hanson turns to an equally important but comparatively neglected subject, the philosophical aspects of research and discovery. He shows that there is a logical pattern in finding theories as much as in using established theories to make deductions and predictions, and he sets out the features of this pattern with the help of striking examples in the history of science.Preface; Introduction; 1. Observation; 2. Facts; 3. Causality; 4. Theories; 5. Classical particle physics; 6. Elementary particle physics; Appendices; Notes; Index.