Saint-Sernin B. "Scientific Method and Philosophical Method"

Saint-Sernin Bertrand – born in 1931, studied mathematics and philosophy. He taught philosophy of science and is Emeritus Professor of the University of Paris-Sorbonne. His main fields are the philosophy of action and the philosophy of nature (because his rationalism is also realism). He has also worked in educational administration, at the OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) and as advisor on science policy in the French Prime Minister’s office. He is a member of the French Institute (Academy of Moral and Political Sciences).

Until the beginning of the twentieth century, in the Western tradition, no one could imagine philosophy as separated from science. Although today no single individual can master the overall field of knowledge, the task of philosophy nevertheless remains the same: to try to present a global view of the universe or, as in the title of Whitehead's book, An Essay in Cosmology. Working together has become a necessity. We try to clarify the present relationship between science and philosophy so that we may conceive how to practice the philosophy of science.

Key words: biosphere, rationality, realism, right opinion (orthe doxy), social choice, styles of philosophy, synthetic chemistry, technology, technosphere, transposing truth.