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Wicked Philosophy : Philosophy of Science and Vision Development for Complex Problems provides an overview of the philosophy of the natural sciences, the social sciences and the humanities, and explores how insights from these three domains can be integrated to help find solutions for the complex, ‘wicked’ problems we are currently facing. The core of a new science-based vision is complexity thinking, offering a meta-position for navigating alternative paradigms and making informed choices of resources for projects involving complex problems. The book also brings design thinking into problem-solving and teaching, fostering construction of an integrative approach that bridges structure and action amplified by transdisciplinary engagement of stakeholders in society.
E-Book Content
WICKED PHILOSOPHY philosophy of science and vision development for complex problems Coyan Tromp Wicked Philosophy Wicked Philosophy Philosophy of Science and Vision Development for Complex Problems Coyan Tromp Amsterdam University Press Volume 5 of the Series Perspectives on Interdisciplinarity Cover design and lay-out: Matterhorn Amsterdam ISBN e-ISBN DOI NUR 978 94 6298 877 4 978 90 4854 109 6 (pdf) 10.5117/9789462988774 734 © Coyan Tromp / Amsterdam University Press B.V., Amsterdam 2018 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the written permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book. Every effort has been made to obtain permission to use all copyrighted illustrations reproduced in this book. Nonetheless, whosoever believes to have rights to this material is advised to contact the publisher. For Future Planet Frontrunners Jim, Sjoerd, Sjef, Jasper, Vera and Marinus who inspire me to inspire others Contents Preface 9 1 2 6 Twenty-First-Century Science 13 Contemporary Approaches 38 1.1 1.2 1.2.1 1.2.2 1.2.3 1.2.4 1.2.5 1.3 1.3.1 1.3.2 1.3.3 1.4 1.4.1 1.4.2 ‘Wicked’ Problems: The Great Challenges of Our Times The State of Modern Science Foundations of Modern Science First Foundation: Valid, Logical Inference Second Foundation: Empirical Observation The Ideal of Unified Science Dissent against the Orthodox Consensus The Inevitability of Philosophy The Münchhausen Trilemma Paradigm Shifts: Tipping Points or Turning Points? Turns in Philosophy of Science Future Avenues The Need for an Integrative Approach Complexity Thinking: A New Paradigm in Science? 2.1 The Traditional Standard Research Model 2.1.1 The Empirical Cycle 2.1.2 The Deductive-Nomological Explanatory Model 2.1.3 Critical Rationalism Critically Assessed 2.2 Interpretivism as an Alternative Paradigm 2.2.1 The Hermeneutic Circle 2.2.2 Construction and Deconstruction 2.2.3 The Double Interpretation Challenge 2.2.4 One-Sided Interpretation versus Reciprocal Adequacy 2.3 Current Models and Future Thinking 2.3.1 The Model Cycle 2.3.2 Simulation as a Way to Enhance Systems and Design Thinking 2.3.3 Computation and Design: New Imperialism or Emancipation of the Sciences? 2.4 Unity in Diversity 14 18 18 20 22 23 25 27 28 29 32 33 33 34 39 39 42 45 47 48 49 52 53 55 55 57 58 60 3 4 Structure and Action in Science 63 Science as a Rational Process 91 3.1 3.1.1 3.1.2 3.1.3 3.2 3.2.1 3.2.2 3.2.3 3.2.4 3.3 3.3.1 3.3.2 3.3.3 3.4 3.4.1 3.4.2 Objective Structures or Subjective Perspectives? Correspondence and Representation Perspectivism and Fallibilism An Instrumen