Chicken Soup for the Out-of-Step Scholar's Soul

Abstract

This paper argues that the long-standing predominance of a particular approach to science neither makes it uniquely “scientific” nor superior to rival approaches. To do so we examine the dominant scientific explanation of the 17th and early 18th centuries: the mechanical philosophy. Our analysis demonstrates the fragility of even the most entrenched scientific wisdoms and provides encouragement for out-of-step scholars everywhere.