Hannah Erlwein

Max Planck Institute for the History of Science

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(Un)scientific Methods: Debating Analogical Reasoning in the Premodern Islamic Tradition

How can we attain scientific knowledge? This question continues to puzzle the minds of philosophers of science today, but it has a much longer history. In my talk I will focus on debates surrounding this question in the context of premodern Islamic science. Specifically, I will tell the story of analogical reasoning: Once a frequently used mode of reasoning among theologians that could yield scientific insights, it was denigrated to a mere rhetorical device at the hands of philosophers that fell short of the ideals of science, leaving a lasting mark on practitioners of theology. My talk will investigate the reasons for the shifting attitude towards analogical reasoning in science.

התכנסות לקפה וכיבוד קל בשעה 17:45 ליד חדר 449

יו"ר: שאול קציר

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