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Larry Laudan is born
Laurens Lynn “Larry” Laudan was born in Austin, TX. -
Laudan graduates from Princeton with a Ph.D. in Philosophy
Laudan studied at the University of Kansas where he received a Bachelor of Arts in physics. Laudan then studied at Princeton where he earned a Ph.D. in Philosophy. He went on to teach at universities in the US and London. He was known for his critiques of traditional views of science. His work contributed to discussions about the nature of scientific knowledge and its limitations. -
Progress and its Problems is published
In one of his earlier publications, Laudan’s views on the fallibility of science start to make rounds. He argues that progress shouldn’t be judged or evaluated against genuine truth, but rather should be looked at in the context of shared ideas within the scientific community. He argued that we can’t necessarily know what’s genuinely true, but we can know what we believe is true based on studies. Because of this, “truth” can be fluid as it changes over time.
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A Confutation of Convergent Realism and Pessimistic Meta-Induction
Although skepticism in science wasn’t a new concept, Laudan argued that all science should be questioned. He points out that historically, many theories people once studied, like Phlogiston theory, turned out to be false therefore any of our current “mature” theories used as a foundation for seeking new knowledge could also be false. This also means that “immature” theories defying mature theories must be given a fair chance. Here are examples of times science was wrong:
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Science and Values and the Reticulated Model
Lauden’s Science and Values is published. The book is the first appearance of the reticulated model. The reticulated model of science says science is not a linear path toward universal truth. Instead, it’s a network of factors including practical considerations, like which methods are easiest to use and what society thinks is important. His book reiterates that to progress in science, we must understand that our current understanding isn’t permanent. www.youtube.com/watch?v=jijuG9tyoR0 -
Death
Larry Laudan passed away at the age of 81.