The conception of science as a value-free enterprise has been very influential. During the last d... more The conception of science as a value-free enterprise has been very influential. During the last decades a growing number of philosophers of science came to doubt this view. In this paper theoretical discussions about science and values are related to science education. The focus is on the use of philosophy of science in teaching science. The ideal of a value-free science has dominated our conceptions of science for centuries. According to this ideal science is an activity that discloses the facts and nothing but the facts. Science was supposed to proceed under the exclusive role of logic and experience and to explain how things ‘really’ are – independent of the subjective perspectives of individual scientists. In the value-free view of science neither matters of values and preferences nor moral and political decisions belong to the domain of science. However, since 1977 many philosophers of science have been publishing about the relation between science and values. Among these philo...
Due to the multitude of theological disciplines and the very different confessional backgrounds, ... more Due to the multitude of theological disciplines and the very different confessional backgrounds, theology shows an enormous diversity of approaches. From this fact of fragmentation, one may raise at least two questions. (1) Is the divergence in theology productive or does theology need consensus about methods, theories and assumptions? (2) Can a paradigm in theology be developed or does the nature of theology prevent such paradigmatic consensus? To answer these questions, theology may learn from an instructive discussion concerning the need of a paradigm in organization theory. Some have been arguing that management research needs to develop consensus through the enforcement of theoretical and methodological conformity. Others have been responding that such a step would be a retrogression. Instead of focussing on the natural sciences, which is quite common in the field of studies in science and theology, I will thus give attention to one of the social sciences. The conclusion of thi...
The following sections are included: Introduction Common Sense as One View of Science New Views o... more The following sections are included: Introduction Common Sense as One View of Science New Views of Science: Incidental Causes? New Views of Science: Structural Causes? The Contextualization of Science Credibility and Trust Science as a Self-Purifying System Socially Robust Science Conclusion Acknowledgments References
The conception of science as a value-free enterprise has been very influential. During the last d... more The conception of science as a value-free enterprise has been very influential. During the last decades a growing number of philosophers of science came to doubt this view. In this paper theoretical discussions about science and values are related to science education. The focus is on the use of philosophy of science in teaching science. The ideal of a value-free science has dominated our conceptions of science for centuries. According to this ideal science is an activity that discloses the facts and nothing but the facts. Science was supposed to proceed under the exclusive role of logic and experience and to explain how things ‘really’ are – independent of the subjective perspectives of individual scientists. In the value-free view of science neither matters of values and preferences nor moral and political decisions belong to the domain of science. However, since 1977 many philosophers of science have been publishing about the relation between science and values. Among these philo...
Due to the multitude of theological disciplines and the very different confessional backgrounds, ... more Due to the multitude of theological disciplines and the very different confessional backgrounds, theology shows an enormous diversity of approaches. From this fact of fragmentation, one may raise at least two questions. (1) Is the divergence in theology productive or does theology need consensus about methods, theories and assumptions? (2) Can a paradigm in theology be developed or does the nature of theology prevent such paradigmatic consensus? To answer these questions, theology may learn from an instructive discussion concerning the need of a paradigm in organization theory. Some have been arguing that management research needs to develop consensus through the enforcement of theoretical and methodological conformity. Others have been responding that such a step would be a retrogression. Instead of focussing on the natural sciences, which is quite common in the field of studies in science and theology, I will thus give attention to one of the social sciences. The conclusion of thi...
The following sections are included: Introduction Common Sense as One View of Science New Views o... more The following sections are included: Introduction Common Sense as One View of Science New Views of Science: Incidental Causes? New Views of Science: Structural Causes? The Contextualization of Science Credibility and Trust Science as a Self-Purifying System Socially Robust Science Conclusion Acknowledgments References
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