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(2003) Science and culture, Dordrecht, Springer.

The critique of linearity

Joseph Agassi

pp. 204-212

"Linearity" is the (unfortunate) jargon term for proper progression. Building a house normally starts from the foundation and progresses upwards. Linearity gains its respectability from science — by mistake. Progress in science is linear only locally: theories of gravity appear in succession, each built on its immediate predecessor. But different branches of science are not linear. A scientific theory unifies some theories and some observations, and gives rise to others. This too is not linear — it cannot possibly be.

Publication details

DOI: 10.1007/978-94-017-2946-8_17

Full citation:

Agassi, J. (2003). The critique of linearity, in Science and culture, Dordrecht, Springer, pp. 204-212.

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