James T. Robinson's account of philosophy of science and science teaching: Some lessons for today from the 1960s
✍ Scribed by Michael R. Matthews
- Publisher
- John Wiley and Sons
- Year
- 1997
- Tongue
- English
- Weight
- 114 KB
- Volume
- 81
- Category
- Article
- ISSN
- 0097-0352
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
✦ Synopsis
This article examines J. T. Robinson's writings from the 1960s, in particular his 1968 book, The Nature of Science and Science Teaching. It is claimed that the present revival of interest in epistemological matters in the science education community can only benefit from examining past efforts to bring the two fields into productive contact. It is shown that Robinson's writing is heavily influenced by the then dominant logical empiricist tradition in philosophy of science, especially the work of Henry Margenau. Some problems with this tradition are pointed out, and the more general question is raised of how science educators, whose professional competence is not philosophy, can promote an understanding and appreciation of philosophy of science in classrooms.