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Methodological Judgment and Critical Reasoning in Galileo's Dialogue

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2022

Maurice A. Finocchiaro
Maurice A. Finocchiaro*
Affiliation:
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
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Extract

The aim of this paper is to suggest that Galileo's Dialogue may be fruitfully interpreted and evaluated from the viewpoints of methodological judgment and critical reasoning. This approach has significant historical precedents in the readings of Thomas Salusbury and the Port-Royal logicians. This focus on the book's philosophical dimension is not meant to exclude its scientific, historical, rhetorical, and aesthetic dimensions; indeed, such anti-reductionism is suggested by methodological judgment applied at the metalevel; the latter also suggests a criticism of the excessively rhetorical readings prevalent today, as well as viable ways for resolving the problems of hermeneutical pluralism, interpretation versus evaluation, and theory versus practice. Finally, the book's methodological judgment and critical reasoning can be shown to correspond to Galileo's intentions and self-reflections.

Type
Part VIII. Science and Philosophy in the Classic Texts
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1994 , Issue 2: Volume Two: Symposia and Invited Papers 1994 , 1994 , pp. 248 - 257
Copyright
Copyright © 1995 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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Footnotes

1

This research was supported by a grant (no. RH-20980-91) from the National Endowment for the Humanities and a sabbatical leave (Fall 1994) from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

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