Review of the scientific status of professional disciplines. Law and nursing, between technology and science

Abstract

This study examines the epistemological status of law and nursing, two disciplines traditionally valued for their practical dimension and whose scientific nature has been subject to debate. From Mario Bunge's perspective, law is considered a social technology, while nursing is reduced to a mere technique. However, a deeper philosophical analysis suggests that both can be understood as scientific disciplines.

Drawing from the epistemology of law, this study explores various arguments for and against the existence of paradigms within the discipline. It is argued that, while law fulfills normative and technological functions, it also possesses a theoretical structure that aligns it with the social sciences.

In the case of nursing, perspectives that reduce it to a mere technique are contrasted with an analysis of its theoretical development. The study demonstrates that nursing has its own paradigms, distancing it from Bunge’s reductionist perspective.

Finally, it is argued that both law and nursing can be considered sciences in a broad sense, as they exhibit theoretical structures that distinguish them from mere technologies. Despite their differences, both disciplines display a multiparadigmatic nature, which has been identified through the application of an appropriate analytical framework. This approach paves the way for the philosophical analysis of other equally contested disciplines, such as administration, library science, and even medicine.