German Science

Pierre Duhem (1861-1916) is a major influence in twentieth-century thought, a source for many of the ideas of the Vienna circle, Karl Popper, Imre Lakatos, and Thomas S. Kuhn. Yet Duhem's arguments have often been perceived as enigmatic, quirky, muddled, or even disingenuous, because his influence has been greatest outside his native France many of his works have never been translated, and Duhem's readers have mostly been ignorant of the peculiar French cultural and political background during Duhem's lifetime. "German Science" (here translated into English for the first time) is a document of importance for understanding Duhem's better-known works. Duhem's "Aim and Structure of Physical Theory" has been misunderstood because of ignorance of the position set forth in "German Science". At first sight, "German Science" is typical chauvinistic wartime propaganda, thought by the standards of the time and place, Duhem emerges as a moderate and sensitive patriot. The enduring worth of "German Science" lies in its oscillation between the poles of two basic Pascalian premisses: "Principles are intuited" and "Propositions are inferred". The introduction is by Stanley Jaki, author of the biography, "Uneasy Genius: The Life and work of Pierre Duhem".