Koexistenz und Kooperation rivalisierender Paradigmen - von der Theorie zur Praxis. Begleitende vergleichende wissenschaftstheoretische und -methodologische Untersuchung

The contemporary `non-natural sciences` - with `non-natural` we mean all scientific disciplines except the `classical` sciences such as physics, chemistry and biology - are coined by a continuous pluralism of theories. We consider this phenomenon not as a mere pluralism of `Weltanschauung`, but we take it as seriously cognitive, namely as the long-term coexistence of rivaling theories. To a less extent the pluralism of theories occurs also in the `classical` sciences as physics (e.g. theories concerning the genesis of the universe) or in biology. In the philosophy of science the pluralism of theories was up to now little investigated. Why are scientific disciplines in all of these areas not dominated by one superior unified theory -- as one might presume according to the standard view of the current philosophy of science? The investigation of the pluralism of theories is the first main aim of the SFB. It is often claimed that one reason of the pluralism of theories in the area of non-natural sciences is the strong dependence of these theories on different background paradigms. Due to the normative and methological differences between these background paradigms it seems to be impossible to achieve a unified theory. So, in the background of the pluralism of theories there is a pluralism of paradigms. The investigation of the pluralism of paradigms is the second main aim of this SFB. Because of examination of pluralism of paradigms the investigations of the SFB becomes particularly interesting. The notion of paradigm was originally introduced by Thomas S. Kuhns famous monograph The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1967). Therein this concept was developed with regard to the `classical` sciences, especially physics. But we have to take two facts into account: (1) the concept found much more approval in the non-natural sciences, and (2) in this area we very rarely finds dimonating paradigms and paradigm-changes in the Kuhnean sense, but rather, we find a long-term coexistence of rivalling paradigms. Up to now both facts were not examined in the philosophy of science. In a certain sense, both facts contradict Kuhns original concept of paradigm and therefore demand a new interpretation of the paradigm concept. The phenomenon of pluralism of theories and paradigms has been investigated for two and a half years of the SFB in a multi- and interdisciplinary manner on a contemporary and on a historical level. The next aim is an investigation of the possibility of coexistence of the reconstructed theories and paradigms in their respective areas; whereby, we have been focusing on the cognitive type of coexistence, like destructive or constructive rivalry, two- way incommensurability or complementarity and mutual supplementation, mutual exception or cooperation. All these questions have been answered not only on the level of philosophy of science alone, but also on the level of sociology of science. At the same time there is a search for the answers of two general questions: (1) what are the possible causes for the long-term pluralism of theories and paradigms? and (2) given the pluralism of theories and paradigms in this area what are the consequences for scientific organisation? Special attention is turned on the development of interdisciplinary models of cooperation. The development of interdisziplinary models of cooperation will be continued, firstly in terms of integrative models and establishing ties among the project sections and, secondly in terms of more comprehensive or exceeding theories and paradigms with the aim of finding unified theories or paradigms.