Philosophy: author and philosopher Irving M. Copi
“The Detective as Scientist”
Personal history
Irving Marmer Copilowish who later shortened his last name to Copi was an American philosopher and logician. His parents immigrated to America from Russia. Copi was born in Duluth, Minnesota on July 28, 1917. He went to school in Duluth and received all his degrees including a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan. Of interest, Copi studied under philosopher Bertrand Russell. In 1941, Copi married Amelia Glaser and together, they had four children, namely, David, Thomas, William, and Margaret. He was also a textbook author for universities. He co-authored with Carl Cohen, An Introduction to Logic (now in its 15th edition).
Review of “The Detective As Scientist”
Irving Copi established in his points of reason how a detective can be compared to a scientist. He illustrated a mystery being solved by a detective is similar to a perplexity being deciphered by a theoretical scientist. Copi uses Detective Sherlock Holmes as his example in composing his analogy as he clearly and reasonably states his comparison. Copi’s argument seemed logical to me because the strategy and expertise of a detective definitely are similar to the systematic observations and thoughtful experimentations of the…
