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Carnap, Kuhn, and the history of science

Pinto de Oliveira, J.C. (2013) Carnap, Kuhn, and the history of science. [Preprint]

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Abstract

The purpose of this article is to respond to Thomas Uebel´s criticisms of my comments regarding the current revisionism of Carnap´s work and its relations to Kuhn. I begin by pointing out some misunderstandings in the interpretation of my article. I then discuss some aspects related to Carnap´s view of the history of science. First, I emphasize that it was not due to a supposed affinity between Kuhn´s conceptions and those of logical positivism that Kuhn was invited to write the monograph on the history of science for the Encyclopedia. Three other authors had been invited first, including George Sarton whose conception was entirely different from Kuhn´s. In addition, I try to show that Carnap attributes little importance to history of science. He seldom refers to it and, when he does, he clearly defends (like Sarton) a Whig or an “old” historiography of science, to which Kuhn opposes his “new historiography of science”. It is argued that this raises serious difficulties for those, like Uebel, who hold the view that Carnap includes the historical or the social within the rational.


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Item Type: Preprint
Creators:
CreatorsEmailORCID
Pinto de Oliveira, J.C.jcpinto@unicamp.br
Keywords: Carnap, History of science, Kuhn, Logical positivism, New historiography of science, Philosophy of science, Revisionism, Sarton
Subjects: General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science
General Issues > Logical Positivism/Logical Empiricism
General Issues > Philosophers of Science
Depositing User: J. C. Pinto de Oliveira
Date Deposited: 31 May 2013 12:25
Last Modified: 31 May 2013 12:25
Item ID: 9806
Subjects: General Issues > History of Philosophy of Science
General Issues > Logical Positivism/Logical Empiricism
General Issues > Philosophers of Science
Date: 30 May 2013
URI: https://philsci-archive.pitt.edu/id/eprint/9806

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