Pierre Duhem 1861 – 1916
Pierre Duhem was a French theoretical physicist, philosopher of science, and historian of medieval science. His work in thermodynamics and chemistry was respected during his lifetime, but his most enduring influence has been philosophical and historical. The Aim and Structure of Physical Theory defended a conventionalist account of physical theory and articulated what is now called the Duhem-Quine thesis: that no isolated hypothesis can be tested in isolation, since every test brings down a whole interconnected body of auxiliary assumptions. His ten-volume Système du monde rescued medieval natural philosophy from neglect.
Key facts
- Nationality
- French
- Era
- Contemporary
- Movements
- Continental
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Pierre Duhem:
“An experiment in physics can never condemn an isolated hypothesis but only a whole theoretical group.”
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Attributed to Pierre Duhem:
“Truth in science is gradual and never final.”
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Attributed to Pierre Duhem:
“A physical theory is a system of mathematical propositions whose aim is to represent and classify a group of experimental laws.”
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Attributed to Pierre Duhem:
“The history of physics shows that no theory survives unchanged.”