Exploring Certainty in Scientific Knowledge

This chapter delves into various philosophical perspectives on the certainty and nature of scientific knowledge, ranging from logical positivism to instrumentalism, paradigm shifts, scientific realism, and the methodologies used in scientific reasoning. It contrasts classical Aristotelian views with modern perspectives on certainty in scientific inquiry, illustrating with examples from Aristotle's posterior analytics. The chapter also discusses Father Wallace's examples of settled scientific conclusions that highlight the pursuit of certainty through combining multiple observed properties in forming conclusions.