I critically examine Stewart’s (Found Chem, 2018) suggestion that we should weigh the various predictions Mendeleev made differently. I argue that in his effort to justify discounting the weight of some of Mendeleev’s failures, Stewart invokes a principle that will, in turn, reduce the weight of some of the successful predictions Mendeleev made. So Stewart’s strategy will not necessarily lead to a net gain in Mendeleev’s favor.
Original language
English
Journal
Foundations of Chemistry: Philosophical, Historical, Educational and Interdisciplinary Studies of Chemistry