Towards a Theory of Rationality in Science: A Plea for Reasonableness

All those who like to have a constructively critical look at science and all its activities and all those who dearly expect science to be human and holistic in all its endeavours, I hope, will find this journey inspiring and informative. Main features of this book are as follow: (i) to show that science is neither the paradigm of absolute knowledge, rational and objective to the core, nor an enterprise where 'anything goes', with no rationality, no stability, no methodology and no objectivity; (ii) to show that both the rational and the non-rational models of science don't give the actual picture of science, as it is revealed and substantiated by the recent historians of science; (iii) to show the need to go beyond the traditional accounts of rationality in order to have an adequate of understanding of what happens in the realm of science, including the issues of rationality in science; (iv) to explicate some features of the notion of reasonableness and show how these factors, especially the notion of Consensus in the Scientific Community, which are usually neglected in the traditional accounts of science, need to be earnestly considered to arrive at an integrated understanding of rationality in science in terms of reasonableness; and (v) to bring out some of the implications of taking reasonableness seriously in the Cotemporary Science and Society.

Table of Contents:
Acknowledgement (vii) Preface (ix) Chapter 1: 20th Century's Theories of Rationality in Science 1 Introduction 1 Section 1: Proponents of Rational Model of Rationality in Science 2 Section 2: Proponents of Non-rational Models of Rationality in Science 27 Notes & References 66 Chapter 2: Assessment of the 20th Century's Theories of Rationality in Science 77 Introduction 77 Section 1: Assessment of the Rational Models of Rationality in Science 78 Section 2: Assessment of the Non-rational Models of Rationality in Science 105 Notes & References 135 Chapter 3: Reasonableness - An Integrated View of Rationality in Science 143 Introduction 143 Section 1: Traditional Accounts of Rationality and their Constraints 144 Section 2: The Need to Revise the Traditional Accounts of Science 169 Section 3: Reasonableness: An Integrated Account of Rationality in Science 179 Section 4: Consensus in the Scientific Community 203 Notes & References 240 Chapter 4: The Implications of Reasonableness for Contemporary Science and Society 253 Introduction 253 Section 1: Implictions of Reasonableness for Contemporary Science 254 Section 2: Implications of Reasonableness for the Contemporary Society 300 Notes & References 342 Conclusion 351 Notes & References 365 Index 367

About the Author :
Dr. S. Stephen Jayard, a priest of the Catholic Diocese of Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu, is an Associate Professor, Faculty of Philosophy, at Jnana-Deepa Vidayapeeth (Papal Athenaeum), Pune, India, an internationally renowned institute of Philosophy and Religion. He obtained his PhD in Philosophy of Science, from the Central University, Hyderabad, with the merit Fellowships from the Indian Council for Philosophical Research, New Delhi, and the Central University, Hyderabad. He has been a visiting faculty at the International Institute of Information Technology, Hyderabad, and Sogang University, Seoul, South Korea. He visits Morning Star College, Kolkata; Academy of Mater Dei, Goa; Jeevalaya Institute of Philosophy, Bangalore and other institutes for lectures. He also lectures on Science-Religion Interactions and conducts seminars on motivation for teachers and students at various religious and academic institutes. He is presently engaged with his post-doctoral research at the Lonergan Institute, Washington DC, USA, focusing on the interactions between Science and Religion.