ABSTRACT
The position that scientific theories must be axiomatic derives from the idealiza tion of logical positivism and reflects its emphasis on mathematical physics as the canonical scientific domain. There is general agreement that the attempt to capture all scientific theories in terms of axiomatic systems was a failure (Suppe, 1977). Recent philosophers of science have examined a wider range of scientific theories and it is clear that many very powerful theories (e.g., Darwinian theory, continental drift) have a more qualitative flavor. Thus, the observation that children’s theories are not axiomatic theories does not seem to distinguish them from scientific theories.
