How do scientific theories evolve? |
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| Joseph F. Hanna
Professor Emeritus, Philosophy |
Scientific Methodology, Philosophy of Biological Sciences | |
| My general areas of interest are the theory of explanation and causality and the methodology of formulating and testing scientific theories by means of mathematical and computer simulation models. Within the biological sciences I am especially interested in the theoretical and explanatory role of the concept of genetic information. Recently, I have become interested in evolutionary epistemology. This approach to the theory of knowledge attempts to model the birth, development, and death of scientific theories (paradigms, disciplinary matrices, research programs, etc.) upon the theory of biological evolution. Recent controversies within the biological theory of evolution have provided a rich source of materials for philosophers of science to apply to questions of scientific inference and the evolution of scientific theories. |
Selected Publications Hanna, J.F. 1982. Probabilistic explanation and probabilistic causality. In Phil. Soc. Am. 1982, P.D. Asquith and T. Nickel (eds.), Vol. 2. East Lansing, MI: Philosophy of Science Association.Hanna, J.F. 1983. Empirical adequacy. Philosophy of Sci. 50:1-34.Hanna, J.F. 1984. On the empirical adequacy of composite statistical hypotheses. In Phil Soc. Am. 1984, P.D. Asquith and P. Kitcher (eds.), Vol. 1, pp. 73-80. East Lansing, MI: Philosophy of Science Association.Hanna, J.F. 1985. Sociobiology and the information metaphor. In The Epistemology of Sociobiology, J. Fetzer (ed.), pp. 31-35. D. Reidel Publishing Co.
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