ISBN-13: 9783639164244 / Angielski / Miękka / 2009 / 228 str.
This book is concerned with the process of beliefformation and change in one of the most importantareas of human endeavour - scientific inquiry - andthe paradigms that underpin that process. It isargued that scientific inquiry is driven by the sameneed for explanation that gives rise to all forms ofhuman inquiry. It is further argued that theperceptual and intellectual processes that form andguide scientific inquiry are no different from thosethat drive any other form. Examined in detail are theassumptions, or beliefs, that underlie and give formto our scientific endeavours, both historically and currently, and the fundamental impact thoseassumptions have on what phenomena we choose toexplore, how we explore those phenomena and how weinterpret what we find. This work undertakes a majorhistorical and conceptual analysis of the emergenceand development of the dominant scientific paradigmsin the Western tradition and identifies the genesisof a new and significant metaparadigm.