Abstract
Change is endemic in nature yet scientists seek stability amidst change. When proposals fail scientists shift their focus and look for stability elsewhere. Scholars who study the development of science also seek stability in the scientific process. Here I explore the interaction between stability and change in nature as we understand it through the sciences (Part I) and in the practice of scientific research (Part II). The concluding part argues that the search for stability meets a human intellectual need but this is compatible with our finding what is actually there. Cases in which a previously accepted part of science is rejected or revised in response to contrary data indicates that we do not predetermine outcomes of observations and experiments. Still, the belief that there are loci of stability in nature is a working hypothesis. While it has been fruitful, only future scientific developments can determine if this will continue to hold.
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Notes
Kuhn described the interaction between stability and change as “the essential tension,” but this early study was limited and the details will not concern us.
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Brown, H.I. Stability and Change in Nature and Science. Topoi 39, 893–900 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-017-9533-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11245-017-9533-1