Discovery, Pursuit, and Justification

Abstract

In earlier discussions of the philosophy of science, philosophers such as Reichenbach (1938) distinguished between the “context of discovery” and the “context of justification.” The context of justification was concerned with the evidential basis for belief in scientific hypotheses and with the logical structure of science, whereas the context of discovery was left to psychology. More recently, philosophers of science such as Laudan (1980) and Nickles (1980b) have suggested a third classification, that of pursuit, the further investigation of a theory or an experimental result. In addition, recent studies of science, which emphasize scientific practice, have emphasized that science is a complex activity demanding a richer description than just discovery and justification.¹