Method, Social Science, and Social Hope

摘要: Galileo and his fellowers discovered, subsequent centuries have amply confirmed, that you get much better predictions by thinking of things as masses particles blindly bumping each other than them Aristotle thought — animistically, teleologically, anthromorphically. They also discovered a handle on the universe it infinite cold comfortless finite, homey, planned, relevant to human concerns. Finally, they if view planets or missiles corpuscles point-masses, can nice simple predictive laws looking for mathematical ratios. These discoveres are basis modern technological civilization. We hardly be too grateful them. But do not, pace Descartes Kant, point any epistemological moral.