Hermeneutics in the Field: The Philosophy of Geology

Abstract

Geology has had a marginal place within the philosophy of science; its processes and results have not matched our traditional ideas concerning the nature and outcomes of scientific reasoning. This is a reflection of the fact that philosophy of science has been, with few exceptions, implicitly or explicitly the philosophy of physics, and more generally the philosophy of lab science. In actuality, geological reasoning provides a rich and realistic account of the power and limitations of scientific reasoning. It also highlights the hermeneutic and historical nature of reasoning, scientific or otherwise, and the neglected kinship between reasoning in the sciences and the humanities.