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Fig. 1.3
Wegener's conceptual system ( top ) and the contemporary one ( bottom )
his opponents (Fig. 1.5 ). Making conceptual structures explicit helps us understand
the central issues concerning how paradigms compete with each other.
Continental drift, along with polar wandering and seafloor spreading, is the
consequence of plate movements. Continental drift is the movement of one continent
relative to another continent. Polar wandering is the movement of a continent
relative to the rotational poles or spin axis of the Earth. Seafloor spreading is the
movement of one block of seafloor relative to another block of seafloor. Evidence
for both polar wandering and continental drift comes from matching continental
coastlines, paleoclimatology, paleontology, stratigraphy, structural geology, and
paleomagnetism. The concept of seafloor spreading is supported by evidence of the
age of volcanic islands and the age of the oldest sediments on the seafloor. It is also
supported by discoveries of the magnetism of the seafloor.
It is obviously a remarkable accomplishment to be able extract and summarize
the conceptual structure of a scientific theory. Representing it with such a high level
of clarity enables us focus on conceptual differences between conceptual structures
and pinpoint their merits and potentials. On the other hand, the distilling process
clearly demands the highest level of intellectual analysis and reasoning. It requires
the ability to tease out the most critical information from a vast and growing body of
relevant scientific knowledge. Today's information and computing techniques still
have a long way to go to be able to turn a body of scientific knowledge into this
type of conceptual structures. Examples demonstrated by Thagard provide a good
reference for us to consider and reflect on what opportunities are opened up by
new generations of science mapping and visual analytics tools and what challenges
remain for us to overcome.
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