On the Philosophy of Discovery

Chapters Historical and Critical

English · 1860 · 23h

How does scientific knowledge take shape, and what makes a discovery more than a collection of observations? In On the Philosophy of Discovery, William Whewell examines the processes and principles by which people arrive at reliable knowledge.

Drawing on the history of science, Whewell considers how discoveries emerge and how they are understood. The book brings together questions about evidence, reasoning, and the growth of human knowledge, treating scientific inquiry as a subject for philosophical investigation in its own right.

Written in the nineteenth century, this work offers a historical perspective on how science was explained and organized in Whewell’s time. It may suit listeners interested in the history and philosophy of science, especially those curious about the ideas behind discovery rather than a single scientific field.