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(2011) Otto Neurath and the unity of science, Dordrecht, Springer.
We seem to suffer from a case of cognitive dissonance. On the one hand, we seem to have almost unanimously rejected as hopeless or incoherent the aim of a unified science. On the other, we passionately debate about the prospects of research programs which, if successful, would considerably enhance the prospects of unification: from particle physics to cognitive neuroscience, from evolutionary theory to logical modeling or dynamic systems, a common motivation seems to be the quest for unity. The purpose of this paper is to relieve the dissonance. I will defend a moderate form of unity, one which is compatible with the diversity and open-endedness of science, for which I can think of no better name than federalism, as it combines plurality and the construction of a common epistemic area. This view is not original: Otto Neurath himself espoused it, albeit in a context which is in certain respects quite unlike ours.
Publication details
DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-0143-4_10
Full citation:
Andler, D. (2011)., Unity without myths, in J. Symons, O. Pombo & J. M. . Torres (eds.), Otto Neurath and the unity of science, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 129-144.
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