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Single Idea 5391

[from 'Problems of Philosophy' by Bertrand Russell, in 14. Science / B. Scientific Theories / 2. Aim of Science ]

Full Idea

The business of science is to find uniformities, such as the laws of motion and the law of gravitation, to which, so far as our experience extends, there are no exceptions.

Gist of Idea

Science aims to find uniformities to which (within the limits of experience) there are no exceptions

Source

Bertrand Russell (Problems of Philosophy [1912], Ch. 6)

Book Reference

Russell,Bertrand: 'The Problems of Philosophy' [OUP 1995], p.35


A Reaction

This seems nicely stated, based on the Humean 'regularity' view of scientific laws. When we discover such uniformities (such as the gravitational equation), we are still faced with the metaphysical question of their status. Necessity, or pattern?