file.newsgroup.med.58767 Maven / Gradle / Ivy
From: [email protected] (Russell Turpin)
Subject: Re: Science and methodology (was: Homeopathy ... tradition?)
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In article <[email protected]> [email protected] (Charles L. Creegan) writes:
> What about Kekule's infamous derivation of the idea of benzene rings
> from a daydream of snakes in the fire biting their tails? Is this
> specific enough to count? Certainly it turns up repeatedly in basic
> phil. of sci. texts as an example of the inventive component of
> hypothesizing.
I think the question is: What is extra-scientific about this?
It has been a long time since anyone has proposed restrictions on
where one comes up with ideas in order for them to be considered
legitimate hypotheses. The point, in short, is this: hypotheses and
speculation in science may come from wild flights of fancy,
daydreams, ancient traditions, modern quackery, or anywhere else.
Russell