Genetic Epistemology and Piaget's Philosophy of Science

Abstract

This paper concerns Jean Piaget's (1896–1980) philosophy of science and, in particular, the picture of scientific development suggested by his theory of genetic epistemology. The aims of the paper are threefold: (1) to examine genetic epistemology as a theory concerning the growth of knowledge both in the individual and in science; (2) to explicate Piaget's view of ‘scientific progress’, which is grounded in his theory of equilibration; and (3) to juxtapose Piaget's notion of progress with Thomas Kuhn's (1922–1996). Issues of scientific continuity, scientific realism and scientific rationality are discussed. It is argued that Piaget's view highlights weaknesses in Kuhn's ‘discontinuous’ picture of scientific change.

The Blind Men and the Elephant: Towards an Organization of Epistemic Contexts

“…Thus for KO theory, reconstructive approaches to human knowledge based on historico-genetical methodologies seem to be promising, in particular, the more advanced approaches rooted in the Piagetian tradition (Piaget 1973;Hallpike 1979;Habermas 1984;Campbell and Bickhard 1986;Piaget and Garcia 1989;Kitchener 1987;Oesterdiekhoff 1997;Dux 2011;Wenzel 2000;Wilber 2000aWilber , 2000bRobinson 2004;Combs 2005;Tsou 2006;Bammé 2011;Kleineberg 2012;Seiler 2012).…”

“…In opposition to Thomas S. Kuhn's famous thesis of incommensurability between subsequent paradigms, Piaget and Garcia (1989, 252) make a distinction between "social paradigm" versus "epistemic paradigm," whereupon only the latter is able to identify and interrelate divergent scientific perspectives in terms of "lower level theory" versus "higher level theory" (Piaget and Garcia 1989, 264-65) in a non-relativistic way (Kitchener 1987;Tsou 2006).…”

“…The reconstruction of such a long-term development of worldview structures is the main concern of the historicogenetic approach in sociology of knowledge which also leads to stage models following the principle of integrative levels (Piaget 1973;Hallpike 1979;Habermas 1984;Kitchener 1987;Piaget and Garcia 1989;Oesterdiekhoff 1997;Dux 2011;Wenzel 2000;Robinson 2005;Tsou 2006;Bammé 2011).…”

Machine Autonomy: Definition, Approaches, Challenges and Research Gaps

“…The motivation of developmental artificial intelligence is in line with Turing's idea that "it is easier to build an artificial baby and train it to maturity than trying to build and simulate an adult mind" [87]. In addition to Turing's idea, several works in developmental psychology especially those by Piaget have contributed to the basis for research in developmental artificial intelligence [88,89]. Fundamentally, the developmental artificial intelligence approach seeks to achieve an autonomously open-ended learning driven by intrinsic motivation or artificial curiosity in a way similar to how human infants learn.…”

Theoretical Communities and Theory & Psychology: A Decade Review

“…The nature of the child and the problem of formulating a theory of development remains an ongoing topic, as witnessed by a special issue on Theory of Mind (Leudar, Costall, & Francis, 2004) as well as related papers on developmentally relevant scholars such as Piaget and Vygotsky (e.g., Berducci, 2004;Tsou, 2006). Social psychology is often more noted by its absence, particularly those forms of social psychology associated with North American experimental forms.…”