There Are No Such Things as Theories
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Authors
Publication Date
2021Journal Title
MIND
ISSN
0026-4423
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Type
Article
This Version
AM
Metadata
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Dewar, N. (2021). There Are No Such Things as Theories. MIND https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/fzab003
Abstract
Steven French’s new book is a bold and ambitious look at the question of what sorts of things scientific theories are—or rather, what they are not. For the purposes of this review, I’ll treat the book as divided into four parts, although many themes and ideas recur and re-emerge throughout. The first part (Chapters 1–2) concerns the structure of theories; the second (Chapter 3) concerns the representational character of theories; the third part (Chapters 4–6) considers the ontological status of theories; and the final part (Chapters 7–9) outlines and defends French’s positive thesis, that (as per the title) there are no such things as theories. I’ll say a little about each of the first two parts, and then discuss the third and fourth parts together.
Embargo Lift Date
2023-10-26
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/mind/fzab003
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/335305
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Publisher's own licence
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