Changes

|Description=There have been many cases in the history of science when one [[Scientific Community|community,]] with a single [[Scientific Mosaic|scientific mosaic]] divided into two or more communities, with different mosaics. These distinct communities would differ regarding at least one of their [[Theory Acceptance|accepted theories]] or [[Employed Method|employed methods]]. For example, consider the case of the distinct mosaics of French and English natural philosophers in the early part of the 18th century. The former accepted a version of Cartesian theory while the latter accepted a version of Newtonian theory.[[CiteRef::Barseghyan (2015)|p. 203]] We can see by various indicators [[CiteRef::Barseghyan (2015)|pp. 113-120]] that the dispute between these two communities was not a simple matter of scientific disagreement, like the contemporary dispute between various interpretations of quantum mechanics. In the case of quantum mechanics, even those who advocate alternatives acknowledge that the Copenhagen Interpretation is currently accepted as the best available description of its object. [[CiteRef::Faye (2014)]][[CiteRef::Barseghyan (2015)|p. 202]] Such contender theories are said to be [[Theory Pursuit|pursued]]. What makes the situation in the case of the 18th century French and English mosaics different is that the two communities accepted different theories (Cartesian and Newtonian physics, respectively) as the best available description of physical reality. In such a case we are justified to regard these as two distinct communities, each bearing its own mosaic. Understanding the circumstances under which this sort of situation arises is among the goals of a general descriptive theory of scientific change.