These discussions often continue the inquiries begun by the principal logical empiricists Carnap, Hempel, Reichenbach, and Popper adhering to the conceptions of science and philosophy that were central to their enterprise.
Because this study represents only the conceptions of science students and faculty from one institution, future studies should explore a broader range of disciplines and contexts, such as comparing undergraduate science students' conceptions with those of non science majors and the general public.
Alexander sought both to understand the sources of this conception of science and to show its inadequacy.
Though a review of that literature is beyond the scope of this essay, it is worth stressing that this conception of science is not widely held and that if it were generally accepted by scientists, then the practice of science would change significantly.
It is a striking feature of the Encyclopedia, and one by virtue of which it exemplifies the Baconian conception of science characteristic of the period, that its entries cover the whole range and scope of knowledge, from the most abstract theoretical to the most practical, mechanical and technical.
Darwin's Origin of Species was published as scientists began to realize that the Baconian conception of science was unrealistic, vastly understating the importance of theories in the scientific enterprise.
This empirical aspect, which corresponds to the modern conception of science, can be applied only if it functions on the basis of objectifiable (empirically verifiable) entities.
More specifically, first, in keeping with the Aristotelian conception of science (scientia), Suárez supposes that to understand anything we must grasp and understand the causes of that thing; so, as a special case, to understand being (ens) we must investigate and understand the causes of being, taken in its most general and abstract aspect.
The covering-law model of explanation was a centerpiece of the logical empiricist conception of science.
