Why?

"Notwithstanding some egregious examples to the contrary, though, a sweep of scientific progress since 1600 seems undeniable. We tend to attribute this to the discovery and invention of new things; but at least as important has been the ability to perceive old things in new ways. The Aristotelians looked at a swinging body, Thomas Kuhn says, and saw something 'falling with difficulty;' Galileo looked at it and saw a pendulum. This aspect of science, which is explanatory and explicatory, sometimes bears a distinct resemblance to philosophical analysis. Cosmologists, for example, conceptualize a galaxy as 'particles making up a continuous and perfect fluid;' economists define a ‘product’ as a 'collection of units that are perfect substitutes to purchasers.'"

Toni Vogel Carey discusses the question of whether philosophy, like science, is progressive. Read about it in the latest online issue of Philosophy Now.