Husserl saw as a reason for the crisis of a positivistic science its dissociation from practical interests. His remedy was to institute a purely contemplative attitude which should not only release the sciences from the grip of the illusion that the world is a ready?made universe of facts to be grasped in purely descriptive terms, but also, by its own therapeutic powers, lead to ?a new kind of practice?. In adhering to this traditional concept of the relation of knowledge to (...) interest Husserl misconceived the scientific crisis. Even though phenomenological description would effectively dispel the illusion of objectivism, objectivism in no way prevents science from influencing practice; what was needed was not to restore the practical significance of the sciences by making them finally break with interest, but rather to reveal the true relationship of knowledge and interest which the objectivistic attitude conceals. After outlining the fundamental interests guiding the respective scientific enterprises, the author summarizes in five theses what he takes to be the basic aspects of the relationship between knowledge and interest. (shrink)

Summary In the first part of this contribution, the three probably most influential conceptions of evolutionary epistemology are surveyed, as they were put forward by Konrad Lorenz, Gerhard Vollmer, and Rupert Riedl, respectively. It is demonstrated that, as far as the essentials are concerned, these conceptions largely correspond with each other as well as with a further conception advanced by Karl Popper from the point of view of Critical Rationalism. It can be clearly shown, moreover, that fundamentals of the latter (...) conception can be traced back to Popper's earliest publications (e. g., to hisLogik der Forschung [The Logic of Scientific Discovery]). By means of an examination of the language used by these authors, it is tried to elucidate the fact that, for the reasons of lacking consideration of the lingual/non-lingual distinction and of faults and inadequacies in consequence of this lack alone, the proposed conceptions can be rejected as being at least highly defective. (shrink)