Scientific Rationality

the qualities of reason and logic that characterize, or ought to characterize, scientific inquiry. For many, science is the epitome of rationality because of its adherence to the rules of logic and evidence, its rejection of supernatural explanations, its devotion to objectivity, and its careful public testing of hypotheses. A commitment to standards and procedures of this kind is usually taken to be the criterion by which a discipline, such as psychology, may be judged to be a science. More narrowly, scientific rationality is sometimes equated with positivism.

For Kuhn, a theory is chosen rationally when:

1. The evaluation is based on values characteristic of science
2. Theory is considered better the more it manifests these values
3. The scientist chooses the best-evaluated theory