ABSTRACT
Prima facie, we can identify two opposing views of the goals and methods of the philosophy of science:
According to the normative view, it is the goal of philosophy of science to say what science should be, and how it should be pursued. For this purpose, philosophy of science must determine in what scientific rationality consists, and on the basis of which criteria a scientific hypothesis may be justified.
According to the descriptive view, on the other hand, it is the task of philosophy of science to say what science de facto is, and how it proceeds. For this purpose, philosophy of science must describe and explain the existing sciences in terms of their historical development and their current structure.
