| Article ID: | iaor1991767 |
| Country: | Canada |
| Volume: | 29 |
| Issue: | 1 |
| Start Page Number: | 4 |
| End Page Number: | 13 |
| Publication Date: | Feb 1991 |
| Journal: | INFOR |
| Authors: | Miser Hugh J. |
| Keywords: | history |
It has been said that the philosophy of science without the history of science is empty and that the history of science without the philosophy of science is blind. This paper takes some steps toward developing a philosophy of operational research that responds to this dictum; to this end, it explores the philosophy of science and the history and present state of operational research. The paper is based on the 1990 Harold Larnder Memorial Lecture; his pioneering concepts of operational research fit well into the structure that the paper develops.