Mary Hesse Quotes on Nature
Mary Brenda Hesse was a British philosopher of science and one of the first women to hold a senior chair in the philosophy of science in the United Kingdom. This page collects quotes attributed to Mary Hesse on the topic of nature, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
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Attributed to Mary Hesse:
“Models are essential to scientific theorizing.”
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“One of the main functions of an analogy or model is to suggest extensions of the theory by considering extensions of the analogy, since more is known about the analogy than is known about the subject matter of the theory itself... A collection of observable concepts in a purely formal hypothesis suggesting no analogy with anything would consequently not suggest either any directions for its own development.”
Mary Hesse, "Operational definition and analogy in physical theories." Brit. J. Phil. Sci. , v. 2, p. 281-294, 1952. p. 291 -
“Mary Hesse, "Operational definition and analogy in physical theories." Brit. J. Phil. Sci. , v. 2, p. 281-294, 1952. p. 291”
One of the main functions of an analogy or model is to suggest extensions of the theory by considering extensions of the analogy, since more is known about the analogy than is known about the subject matter of the theory itself... A collection of observable concepts in a purely formal hypothesis suggesting no analogy with anything would consequently not suggest either any directions for its own de -
“It could plausibly be argued that far from Christian theology having hampered the study of nature for fifteen hundred years , it was Greek corruptions of biblical Christianity which had hampered it , and the attitude to nature.”
p. 40