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Philosophy of Science
Duhem Felt Physical theory was no more than an aid to memory, summarizing and classifying facts by providing a symbolic representation of them.The facts of physical theory are different from common sense and metaphysics, especially from the mechanical theories fashionable during his time. Duhem’s position was attacked by a Catholic engineer, Eugène Vicaire, because he believed that separating physics from metaphysics meant that physics is the only real knowledge. -
Duhem Thesis
The Duhem and Quine thesis, also called the Duhem Quine problem, after Pierre Duhem and Willard Van Orman Quine. The thesis says its impossible to test a scientific hypothesis in isolation, because an empirical test of the hypothesis requires one or more background assumptions. -
History of Science
From 1906 to 1913, Duhem was deeply into his favorite guide for the recovery of the past, the scientific notebooks of Leonardo de Vinci. He published a series of essays uncovering de Vinci’s medieval sources and their influences on the modern sciences. The third volume of Duhem’s studies of De Vinci gained a new subtitle, Les précurseurs parisiens de Galilée, announcing Duhem’s bold new thesis that even the works of Galileo had a medieval heritage, Reviewing his historical accomplishments. -
Work Cited
Pierre Duhem Scientist, Historian and Philosopher I. (2009, August 14). [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51VnhozqUNg Professor Roger Ariew - Virginia Tech, explains contributions made by Pierre Duhem's thesis to the philosophy of science