Digestive Enzyme Secretion, Intuition, and the History of Science: Part II

Abstract

A companion paper explored the role of intuition in the genesis of an alternative theory for the secretion of pancreatic digestive enzymes, looking through the lens of three philosophers/historians of science. Gerald Holton, the last scholar, proposed that scientific imagination is shaped by a number of thematic presuppositions, which function largely below awareness. They come in pairs of opposites that alternately gain cultural preeminence. The current paper examines three thematic presuppositions inherent to both the generally accepted model for digestive enzyme secretion and most consciousness-centered views of higher-level cognition-discreteness, reduction, and simplicity. Since they often build on each other, together they are referred to as the simplicity worldview. Also considered are the three opposite thematic assumptions inherent to both the alternative model for digestive enzyme secretion and intuition-friendly views of higher-level cognition-the continuum, holism, and complexity-together referred to as the complexity worldview. The article highlights the potential importance to scientific knowledge of this currently less favored worldview.The companion paper explored the role of intuition in science as viewed through the lens of three eminent historians/philosophers of science, Karl Popper, Thomas Kuhn, and Gerald Holton. The work of the third scholar (Holton 1973(Holton , 1998 illustrates the importance of largely unconscious thematic presuppositions in tuning scientific imagination and thought. They come in pairs of opposites that tend to fuel scientific controversy and alternately gain preeminence.As a case study the paper examined the controversy about the nature of digestive enzyme secretion in the pancreas. It focused on the possible influence of intuition in the development L. Isenman (B) Women'

Trusting Your Gut, Among Other Things: Digestive Enzyme Secretion, Intuition, and the History of Science

“…9 My cognitive style, which is heavily weighted towards intuition, as well as my subsequent career studying intuition, provides evidence for the consistency of the largely unconscious philosophical/aesthetic choices I have made in my intellectual life. In the companion paper (Isenman 2009) I explore a number of thematic presuppositions shared by the Equilibrium Model and intuition-friendly views of cognition. I also examine the opposite preconceptions shared by the consensus model for digestive enzyme secretion and consciousness focus views of cognition.…”