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Pierre Duhem is certainly one of the classic contributors to the theory of science. Even today, his work The Aim and Structure of Physical Theory, first published in book form in Paris in 1906, continues to offer a rich reservoir of ideas and arguments that may contribute to a vitalization of contemporary discussions. On closer inspection, Duhem's arguments reveal one central point, namely, how frequently he emphasizes the symbolic nature of physical theories. In the following, I wish to consider a few questions arising from Duhem's definition of the role and function of symbols in physical theory. In the first section, I shall take a closer look at how the theory concept changed during the 19th century. The second section will then consider Duhem's concept of a theory of science against the background of these changes. This would seem to confirm the general opinion that the way he views scientific theories as systems of symbols is in line with an instrumentalist or conventionalist interpretation. The third section will examine those arguments that seem to support such an interpretation in the light of recent studies on Duhem, and show that none of them are conclusive. The fourth section will then analyze the ideal of natural classification that physical theories approach successively according to Duhem's concept of physical theory. It is shown that the epistemic status of a physical theory derived from this concept of convergence goes beyond a positivist understanding.

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-662-04855-9_3

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