Review of the Book - Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered - A new approach to the (Dis)unity of Science

Abstract

This review critically examines Stéphanie Ruphy's Scientific Pluralism Reconsidered: A New Approach to the (Dis)unity of Science (2016), which revisits long-standing debates on the unity and disunity of science. Ruphy challenges prevailing pluralist and antireductionist positions by proposing an alternative, "foliated pluralism". Four main properties constitute the foliated pluralism. Those four main properties are 1- transdisciplinarity, 2- synchronicity, 3- nonexclusiveness, and 4- cumulativeness. By analyzing scientific practices in astrophysics and taxonomy, she argues that persistent incompatibilities between models and classifications emerge from pragmatic constraints rather than ontological necessity. Rejecting both universalist monism and metaphysically grounded pluralism, Ruphy underscores the need for a temporally qualified, practice-oriented view of scientific pluralism. The book provides a substantial contribution to the philosophy of science, offering a nuanced perspective that reconciles pluralism with scientific methodology.