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Is Sociobiology A Pseudoscience?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2022

R. Paul Thompson
R. Paul Thompson*
Affiliation:
Scarborough College, University of Toronto
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Extract

Among the numerous criticisms of sociobiology is the criticism that it is not genuine science. The attempts to support this charge are based on the beliefs that sociobiology is in some sense untestable (Allen et al 1976 and 1977; Sahlins 1977; Lewontin 1977) and untestable hypotheses and theories are pseudoscientific. There are, however, a number of difficulties with both of these beliefs. First, the testability criterion of genuine science is far from clear or well accepted. It is now obvious to most philosophers of science that hypotheses and theories do not occur in isolation. Numerous assumptions and hypotheses together form part of a general framework within which any hypothesis is formed, applied and tested (see, Quine 1951; Quine and Ullian 1978, pp. 96-107; and Kuhn 1970). The refusal to give up a hypothesis in the face of a negative test result is not only not grounds for considering it pseudoscientific but is also a common occurrence in scientific research.

Type
Part XII. Economics and Sociobiology
Information
PSA: Proceedings of the Biennial Meeting of the Philosophy of Science Association , Volume 1980 , Issue 1: Volume One: Contributed Papers 1980 , 1980 , pp. 363 - 370
Copyright
Copyright © 1980 by the Philosophy of Science Association

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