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| 18960 | Most predictions are uninteresting, and are only sought in order to confirm a theory [Putnam] |
| Full Idea: Scientists want successful predictions in order to confirm their theories; they do not want theories in order to obtain the predictions, which are in some cases of not the slightest interest in themselves. | |
| From: Hilary Putnam (Philosophy of Logic [1971], Ch.8) | |
| A reaction: Equally, we might only care about the prediction, and have no interest at all in the theory. Farmers want weather predictions, not a PhD in meteorology. |