The Problem of Rationality in Science and its Philosophy, 1995
On Popper vs. Polanyi The Polish Conferences 1988–89
Boston Studies in the Philosophy and History of Science Series, Vol. 160

Rationality of science was the topic of two conferences (held in 1988 and 1989) organized by the Department of Philosophy of Science, Institute of Philosophy, Jagiellonian University. Both conferences included a small group of invited speakers. This book contains a selection of papers presented there. It is intended mainly for specialists in the philosophy of science and scientists interested in philosophy. Students and especially postgraduate students would also benefit from reading it. The first conference, 'Popper, Polanyi and the Notion of Rationality', was held from 1 to 5 October 1988 in Janowice. The second conference, 'The Aim and Rationality of Science', was held in Cracow at the Jagiellonian Univer­ sity, from 4-10 June 1989. The topics of both conferences were inspired by our late friend Dr. Tomasz Kocowski, who many years earlier invited me and my colleagues from the Department to participate in research concerning the problem of creativity, and serve him and other psychologists as methodological advisors. Personal contacts with this intelligent and inquisitive man helped us to realize that we could not fulfill our task while adhering to the received view in the philoso­ phy of science. This experience helped us to see science not only as scientific knowledge but also as a process of research. We then turned our attention to Michael Polanyi, who seemed to provide the philosophy we were looking for.

The Theory and Practice of Critical Rationalism.- A Deontological Approach to the Rationality of Science.- What Makes Induction Rational?.- The Osianderian Compromise.- Popper, Polanyi and the Notion of Rationality.- On the Nature of Explanation: A PDP Approach.- The Ambiguity of the Lakatos-Zahar Reconstruction of Classical and Relativistic Programmes.- Approximative Truth and Depth as the Main Aims of Science.- Personal Rationality.- Assessment of Theories.- Realism and Idealisation (Metaphysical Objections to Scientific Realism).- Is Evolutionism a Scientific Theory?.- Rationality and Beyond.- In Defence of the Positivist View of Science.- On Polanyi’s Notion of Rationality.- Limitations of Determinism in Classical Mechanics.- Scientific Theoryhood.- On the Objectivity of the Popperian Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics.- How to De-Ruse Sociobiological Theory of Knowledge?.- Tacit Knowing and the Rationality of Science.- Index of Names.- Index of Subjects.