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The Tragedy of the Canon; or, Path Dependence in the History and Philosophy of Science

Bolinska, Agnes; Martin, Joseph D.

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Authors

Agnes Bolinska



Abstract

We have previously argued that historical cases must be rendered canonical before they can plausibly serve as evidence for philosophical claims, where canonicity is established through a process of negotiation among historians and philosophers of science (Bolinska and Martin 2020). Here, we extend this proposal by exploring how that negotiation might take place in practice. The working stock of historical examples that philosophers tend to employ has long been established informally, and, as a result, somewhat haphazardly. The composition of the historical canon of philosophy of science is therefore path dependent, and cases often become stock examples for reasons tangential to their appropriateness for the purposes at hand. We show how the lack of rigor around the canonization of case studies has muddied the waters in selected philosophical debates. This, in turn, lays the groundwork for proposing ways in which they can be improved.

Citation

Bolinska, A., & Martin, J. D. (2021). The Tragedy of the Canon; or, Path Dependence in the History and Philosophy of Science. Studies in History and Philosophy of Science, 89, 63-73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.07.008

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date Jul 3, 2021
Online Publication Date Aug 9, 2021
Publication Date 2021-10
Deposit Date Jul 4, 2021
Publicly Available Date Mar 29, 2024
Journal Studies in History and Philosophy of Science
Print ISSN 0039-3681
Publisher Elsevier
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 89
Pages 63-73
DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shpsa.2021.07.008

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