Duhem, Pierre Maurice Marie

(1861–1916)

The French physicist is remembered philosophically for his La Théorie physique: son objet, sa structure (1906, trs. as The Aim and Structure of Physical Theory, 1954). Duhem's conception of science is that it is simply a device for calculating: science provides a deductive system that is systematic, economical, and predictive, but not one that represents the deep underlying nature of reality (Duhem, a conservative and Catholic, thought that such representation was only achieved by rational thought). Duhem is further remembered for stressing the holistic character of verification and falsification in science. See also Duhem thesis.