Norwood Russell Hanson Norwood Russell Hanson ( 1924 – 1967 ) was a philosopher of science . Hanson was a pioneer in advancing the argument that observation is theory - laden — that observation language and theory language are deeply interwoven — and that historical and contemporary comprehension are similarly deeply interwoven . His single most central intellectual concern was the comprehension and development of a logic of discovery . Work . Hanson ' s best - known work is " Patterns of Discovery " ( 1958 ) , in which he argues that what we see and perceive is not what our senses receive , but is instead filtered sensory information , where the filter is our existing preconceptions – a concept later called a ' thematic framework . ' He cited optical illusions such as the famous old Parisienne woman ( " Patterns of Discovery " , p . 11 ) , which can be seen in different ways . Hanson drew a distinction between ' seeing as ' and ' seeing that ' which became a key idea in evolving theories of perception and meaning . He wanted to formulate a logic explaining how scientific discoveries take place . He used Charles Sanders Peirce ' s notion of abduction for this . Hanson ' s other books include " The Concept of the Positron " ( 1963 ) . Hanson was a staunch defender of the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics , which regards questions such as " " Where was the particle before I measured its position ? " " as meaningless . The philosophical issues involved were important elements in Hanson ' s views of perception and epistemology . He was intrigued by paradox es , and with the related concepts of uncertainty , undecidability / unprovability , and incompleteness ; he sought models of cognition that could embrace these elements , rather than simply explain them away . Hanson ' s posthumous works include " What I Do Not Believe and Other Essays " ( 1971 ) and " Constellations and Conjectures " ( 1973 ) . He is also known for the essays " What I Do Not Believe " and " The Agnostic ' s Dilemma , " among other writings on belief systems . From Michael Scriven ' s preface to Hanson ' s posthumous " Perception and Discovery " : In a general sense Hanson continues the application of the Wittgensteinian approach to the philosophy of science , as Waissman and Toulmin have also done . But he goes much further than they , exploring questions about perception and discovery in more detail , and . . . tying in the history of science for exemplification and for its own benefit . Hanson was one of the rare thinkers in the tradition of Whewell – a man he much admired – who could really benefit from and yield benefits for both the history and philosophy of science . Influence . Hanson ' s 1958 work " Patterns of Discovery " was followed up on by Thomas Kuhn in Kuhn ' s 1962 landmark , " The Structure of Scientific Revolutions " , that challenged prevailing conceptions of science ' s development , conceptions that ranged from the strictures of logical empiricism to naive presumptions of objective scientific realism . Hanson led the move to carry history of science into philosophy of science — two rather divergent fields at the time — as Hanson insisted that proper study of one demanded deep understanding of the other . With Kuhn ' s contribution , Hanson ' s interdisciplinary view became generally accepted . Similarly , Robert Nozick ' s 1974 work on political philosophy , " Anarchy , State , and Utopia " , quotes Norwood to support to Nozick ' s aim to understand the " whole political realm " by " understanding the political realm in terms of the nonpolitical " . Life . Hanson studied trumpet with the legendary William Vacchiano and played at Carnegie Hall , but his musical career was interrupted by World War II . He enlisted in the United States Coast Guard , later transferring to the United States Marine Corps , where he trained as a fighter pilot , developing a reputation as a ' hot pilot ' ( famously looping the Golden Gate Bridge ) . He served on the ill - fated USS " Franklin " in the VMF - 452 " Skyraiders " Squadron , for which he designed the unit ' s logo . When the " Franklin " was bombed and nearly destroyed on 19 March 1945 , his Corsair was described as ' the last plane off Big Ben . ' After flying over 2 , 000 hours , he returned to civilian life , seeking an education via the G . I . Bill rather than continuing a life in music . He took degrees from the University of Chicago and Columbia University , then proceeded with his new wife Fay to the UK in 1949 , under a Fulbright Scholarship . He completed multiple degrees at both Oxford and Cambridge , and stayed in Britain to continue teaching and writing . Hanson left the life of a Cambridge Don to return to the U . S . in 1957 , founding the Indiana University Department of History and Philosophy of Science , the first of its kind , and receiving a Fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton , New Jersey . In 1963 , Hanson moved to Yale University . He also continued to fly – an AT - 6 Texan trainer , and later a Grumman F8F - 2 Bearcat . His unusual style and personal history , including his aerobatics over the Yale Bowl and at airshows as ' The Flying Professor , ' were noted by a generation of students – including John Kerry . His time at Yale was strained by campus politics , where he was caught in the midst of an infamous 1964 - 65 fight over Yale ' s tenure policies ( the " Bernstein Affair " ) . Hanson died in 1967 , when his Bearcat crashed in dense fog en route to Ithaca , New York . He was survived by wife Fay and children Trevor ( b . 1955 ) and Leslie ( b . 1958 ) . His rich , complex life – ranging from Golden Gloves boxing to drawing illustrations for Homer ' s " Iliad " ; from camping on a Harley - Davidson to testifying before the U . S . Senate ; from tough city youth to distinguished scholarship – was cut short at the age of 42 , with ten books in progress , including a history of aerodynamic theory . Works . Books Other media