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Created page with "{{Topic |Question=Is there a logic of theory pursuit? |Topic Type=Descriptive |Description=The scope of scientonomy encompasses the process of Theory Acceptance|theory accep..."
{{Topic
|Question=Is there a logic of theory pursuit?
|Topic Type=Descriptive
|Description=The scope of scientonomy encompasses the process of [[Theory Acceptance|theory acceptance]], whereas the question of how theories become [[Theory Pursuit|pursued]] is currently not within the scope of theoretical scientonomy. However, in principle, it might be interesting to see if there is any logic to the process of theory pursuit.
|Authors List=Hakob Barseghyan,
|Formulated Year=2015
|Prehistory=Among classical philosophers of science, there was no unanimity as to whether the question of theory pursuit can have a reasonable answer. For instance, [[Imre Lakatos]] can be interpreted as claiming that while one has to [[Theory Acceptance|accept]] the most progressive research programme, one can legitimately [[Theory Pursuit|pursue]] any research programme whatsoever.[[CiteRef:Lakatos (1971)|p. 117]] The latter part of the claim would be readily accepted by Paul Feyerabend.[[CiteRef:Feyerabend (1976a)|pp. 213-216]]

However, there were other philosophers who thought that there ''can'' be rules telling us which theories are pursuit worthy. In his [[Laudan (1977)|''Progress and Its Problems'']], [[Larry Laudan]] devises a methodological rule indicating when it is rational to pursue a certain research tradition. According to Laudan, "''it is always rational to pursue any research tradition which has a higher rate of progress than its rivals''".[[CiteRef:Laudan (1977)|p. 111]]
|History=In [[Barseghyan (2015)|''The Laws of Scientific Change'']], Barseghyan left the question of including the logic of pursuit into the scope of scientonomy open. According to Barseghyan, "we are neither restrained nor obliged to provide an account of pursuit in an actual TSC".[[CiteRef:Barseghyan (2015)|p. 41]]
}}

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