ABSTRACT
I’ve argued for the program-scope gap in science by showing how common scientific methods presuppose it. I now describe its presence differently, by bringing it to bear on certain philosophical doctrines. I first show how the irreducibility of most of the laws and notions of the special sciences is due to the program-scope gap. Then I describe how the gap reveals limitations in confirmation holism. Finally, and most importantly, I indicate how the gap affects how scientific theories are tested and applied.
