Prototypes, Simple and Complex

The English word "prototype" comes from two Greek words that mean "first impression." It was first introduced in the second half of the 16th century, soon after the printing press was invented. Type-setting was central to this mechanical revolution, so it was in the print shop that the word prototype came into common use.

But as any modern dictionary quickly reveals, words with picturesque origins acquire nuances. Broadly speaking, a prototype may be an original model, or an early one that already has the essential features of a later type, or a newer design endowed with fuller functionality. Such ample cognate senses can also lead in somewhat more metaphorical directions, e.g., his office was the prototype of a parliament of equals.

Being rooted in processes and contexts of growth, however, it should come as no surprise that in an age of more and more complex modern science, the notion of prototype is among those at play in ruminations about bedrock issues. Two prestigious 20th century philosophers of science argue about the theoretical underpinning of "prototype validation" in software development. One of them, Sir Karl Popper, formulated a new prototype for doing science,the use of a set of methodological rules called "falsificationism," which found wide support. " Opposing this was Willard V. O. Quine, whose cornerstone principle was that all beliefs are revisable. The debate has continued sharply into the 21st century, even though both leaders have passed on. They have passed the torch to a group of younger scientists and philosophers who are taking up the challenge of prototype vindication in advancing scientific software. It is a work worthy of exceptional human endeavor in the pursuit of scientific truth.