Abstract
The paper proposes an epistemological analysis of the dichotomy discovery/invention. In particular, we argue in favor of the idea that science does not discover facts by induction but rather invents theories that are then checked against experience.
The view of science as a cumulative process was described by Thomas Kuhn [6] as opposed to his view in which science is a process composed by irreconcilable steps.
In Logic der Forschung [12] Popper maintains that scientists invent—rather than discover—laws and then they check them against experience. In this respect, the title The logic of scientific discovery of the English translation is particularly misleading and seems to suggest the opposite idea:indeed the German forschung means literally research rather than discovery.
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Piscopo, C., Birattari, M. (2002). Invention vs. Discovery A Critical Discussion. In: Lange, S., Satoh, K., Smith, C.H. (eds) Discovery Science. DS 2002. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 2534. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36182-0_49
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-36182-0_49
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