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Instrumentalism in Science: Comments and Criticisms 1 GLOBAL JOURNAL OF HUMANITIES VOL 8, NO. 1&2, 2009: 1-9 COPYRIGHT© BACHUDO SCIENCE CO. LTD PRINTED IN NIGERIA. ISSN 1596-6232 www.globaljournalseries.com ; [email protected] INSTRUMENTALISM IN SCIENCE: COMMENTS AND CRITICISMS ELIJAH OKON JOHN (Received 8, April 2010; Revision Accepted 17, May 2010) ABSTRACT The affinity between our perception of ultimate reality and our judgement of what we find in the world with respect to the method of science cannot be contravened. That means, if science must be result- oriented, then there must be a definite method for achieving that aim. But it must be said here that the method of science may not be codified. Thus, we shall define scientific method as the decision rules that guide the scientist in making his decisions or a perceived system of procedural rules. Against this backdrop, this paper attempts to defend the thesis that instrumentalism can and should, in fact, be accepted as a method of scientific investigation. KEYWORD: science, system, instrumentalism, method. INTRODUCTION theories), have been accused of being relativists According to Morris and Pai (143), the (people who believe that things like truth and philosophical colossus of our age, by all morality depend on the individuals or cultures) measure, is the scientific philosophy of even though many instrumentalists such as Karl instrumentalism sometimes called Popper are believers in sturdy objective realism. experimentalism and/or erroneously labeled pragmatism. This is because instrumentalism is BACKGROUND INFORMATION only one of the tenets of pragmatism. Morton Customarily, Galileo is considered the father of White (13) classifies instrumentalism as one of the scientific tradition. Although it is difficult to the most popular philosophies in the world. As a locate the origin of so nebulous a thing as an philosophy, instrumentalism is relatively young, intellectual movement, but there seems to have stretching back to less than a hundred years. It been an epoch in time when human minds took a is, however, the systematic expression of a new turn. This epoch, the later part of the movement that began much earlier. But as an sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries, serves outgrowth of pragmatism, instrumentalism shares in retrospect somehow as a “Great Divide” or some ideas, terms, concepts and even intellectual watershed in the historic course of exponents with pragmatism. That does not in any human thought. On one side is the reliance on way suggest that the two terms are one and the logical, self-evident and a priori truth; while on the same thing as some authors like Titus and Smith other side is the reliance on experience and overt (462, 542) suggest. phenomena. Through the words of a brilliant As earlier observed, instrumentalism commentator on the history of science, Herbert relates closely to pragmatism. And this Dingle, one can assess the magnitude of this methodological viewpoint often contrasts with Shift in intellectual orientation. According to scientific realism, which defines theories as Dingle, the shift began with: specially being more or less true. However, instrumentalism is more of a pragmatic approach The natural assumption that the to science, information and theories than an earth was the centre of the universe ontological statement. Often times a fundamental characteristic of instrumentalists (people who hold that scientific Greek thought, which is at variance theory is only an instrument for yielding correct with the scientific outlook (224). predictions), just like pragmatists (people who Based on Dingle’s view, it would be recalled that emphasize results and solutions more than in the sixteenth century, Copernicus had ELIJAH OKO JOH, Department of Philosophy Uniuyo Uyo Akwa Ibom State Nigeria . 2 ELIJAH OKO JOH ventured to change the status quo by transferring predictions, which follow constitute the meaning the centre of the universe from the earth to the of the idea. In other words, what is known is that sun. By the time of Galileo, some three quarters which works for the prediction of the future of century later, it had become clear that there satisfactorily. Epistemologically, truth is known as was no need for any spheres at all (Dingle, 255- what is useful to believe or what leads to a 230). successful prediction. Based on the above, The above fact show that the Aristotelian instrumentalism is a philosophy that has epistemology was actually at work: starting with experience, consequence, verification, and presupposed and “self-evident” principles and workability as its crucial tenets. then attempting to make the observations of natural phenomena conform to them. In contrast SCIENTIFIC METHODOLOGY VIA to this procedure was the method of science INSTRUMENTALISM tagged the Galilean-Newtonian philosophy, which Before we move on to proffering a way out of the emphasized the application of force for problematic nature of scientific methodology via acceleration and velocity. instrumentalism, a brief procedural note is This attempt brought knowledge in necessary at this point. Works of science were apparently boundless measure. But this was not intended to be a theorizing or an analytic logically outrageous from the standpoint of affair. This, probably, is the reason that emphasis Aristotelian method. As observed above, the in our own time has shifted from realism and Aristotelian general principles were conceived a other kindred philosophies, which maintain the priori , independently of phenomena and possibility of defining, locating and applying phenomena were distorted at liberty so as to values that science contain irrespective of the exemplify them. The problem at hand was how to wishes or purpose of human beings, to “save the phenomena”. The basic principles instrumentalism. This explains why John themselves could not be threatened; rather it was (2000:118), holds that “The modern focus rests the phenomena that stood in need of salvation greatly on experimentalism which traces the (John, 2006: 157). justification of our perception of reality to It should also be noted that consequences”. The conception of truth, in the instrumentalism, though an American philosophy, realist view is somewhat dynamic but strongly is an outgrowth of British empiricism. It arose as final, perfect and ‘eternal’. In religious a reaction against the Hegelian philosophy terminology, it may be identified with God’s prevailing in America in the late nineteenth and thoughts, and with those thoughts, which, as early twentieth centuries. Instrumentalists at that rational begins we share with God. period felt that such philosophy was not result- But contrary to the scientific realism, oriented, and had deviated from solving man’s instrumentalist reality is the moving, changing, problems which should be the duty of philosophy. and “process-influx” event spoken of as To rectify the problems, instrumentalists came up experience. In this sense, instrument or with a philosophy of action to meet the needs of experience is the ultimate grounds for human man and that of the society. existence. It is both the originator and the It must be mentioned that beliefs found in Supreme Court of whatever we do or say. today’s instrumentalism first occurred in the Perhaps, it is with this understanding that teachings of Heraclitus and the Sophists. And in Ndubuisi (82) classifies instrumentalism as “a the later time some of those beliefs were found in more developed perspective when compared the teachings of Francis Bacon and Auguste with realism and relativism”. Comte. These beliefs were modified and adopted by modern instrumentalists. Thus, WHAT IS INSTRUMENTALISM? instrumentalists try to provide the foundation of A contemporary British philosopher, Bertrand science (or knowledge in general) by making Russell (564), defines instrumentalism as an sure that whatever is believed or accepted is in attempt in the recent times to escape from agreement with practical consequences. This subjectivism. Ozumba (6) agrees with W. F. means, the value of any idea is determined by Bynum in defining instrumentalism as: the consequences produced when the idea is The view that a scientific theory is translated into action for prediction. nothing more than a device or The prediction thesis holds that in order instrument for yielding correct to determine the meaning of an idea, it must be predictions about the course of put into test: the consequences, simply put, nature, and that theories must INSTRUMENTALISM IN SCIENCE: COMMENTS AND CRITICISMS 3 therefore be assessed not as true or attempt to explicate the meaning of false, but only as effective or instrumentalism, one cannot but agree with John ineffective in prediction(209). Dewey when he asserts that instrumentalism is: According to Alozie, an attempt to construct a precise logical theory of concepts, Instrumentalism is the philosophical judgement and inference in their tenet which states that scientific various functions by considering theories or theories of any type are primarily how thought functions in not strictly speaking true or false, the experimental determinations of but are to be regarded as tools for future consequences (463). making predictions (156). From the above definitions, it is clear that In the philosophy of science, instrumentalism is instrumentalism is a philosophy of action. Like the view that concepts and theories are merely pragmatism, it shares in the working definition of useful instrument whose worth is measured not what that works or on the instrument that
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