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The British Journal for the Philosophy of Science 1996 47(2):271-290; doi:10.1093/bjps/47.2.271
© 1996 by British Society for the Philosophy of Science
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Ducks, Rabbits, and Normal Science: Recasting the Kuhn's-eye View of Popper's Demarcation of Science

Deborah G. Mayo

Department of Philosophy, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 24061-0126, USA

Kuhn maintains that what marks the transition to a science is the ability to carry out ‘normal’ science—a practice he characterizes as abandoning the kind of testing that Popper lauds as the hallmark of science. Examining Kuhn's own contrast with Popper, I propose to recast Kuhnian normal science. Thus recast, it is seen to consist of severe and reliable tests of low-level experimental hypotheses (normal tests) and is, indeed, the place to look to demarcate science. While thereby vindicating Kuhn on demarcation, my recasting of normal science is seen to tell against Kuhn's view of revolutionary science.


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