Where Is the Limit to Abduction╎s Explanatory Power?
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Truth, Rationality, and the Growth of Scientific Knowledge
....... CONJECTURES sense similar to that in which processes or things may be said to be parts of the world; that the world consists of facts in a sense in which it may be said to consist of (four dimensional) processes or of (three dimensional) things. They believe that, just as certain nouns are names of things, sentences are names of facts. And they sometimes even believe that sentences are some- thing like pictures of facts, or that they are projections of facts.7 But all this is mistaken. The fact that there is no elephant in this room is not one of the processes or parts ofthe world; nor is the fact that a hailstorm in Newfound- 10 land occurred exactIy I I I years after a tree collapsed in the New Zealand bush. Facts are something like a common product oflanguage and reality; they are reality pinned down by descriptive statements. They are like abstracts from TRUTH, RATIONALITY, AND THE a book, made in a language which is different from that of the original, and determined not only by the original book but nearly as much by the principles GROWTH OF SCIENTIFIC KNOWLEDGE of selection and by other methods of abstracting, and by the means of which the new language disposes. New linguistic means not only help us to describe 1. THE GROWTH OF KNOWLEDGE: THEORIES AND PROBLEMS new kinds of facts; in a way, they even create new kinds of facts. In a certain sense, these facts obviously existed before the new means were created which I were indispensable for their description; I say, 'obviously' because a calcula- tion, for example, ofthe movements of the planet Mercury of 100 years ago, MY aim in this lecture is to stress the significance of one particular aspect of carried out today with the help of the calculus of the theory of relativity, may science-its need to grow, or, if you like, its need to progress. -
The Ten Lenses of Philosophical Inquiry Philosophical Inquiry Research Project1
The Ten Lenses of Philosophical Inquiry Philosophical Inquiry Research Project1 The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes. – Marcel Proust A huge part of Philosophical Inquiry is learning how to see the world with new eyes. To accomplish this goal, you will be introduced to the “ten lenses of philosophical inquiry.” The ten lenses of philosophical inquiry are tools to help us critically engage with, and analyze ourselves, and the world around us. Like a pair of glasses, the ten lenses help to change our perception and give us the power to re-examine our reality. In this philosophical inquiry research project you will get introduced to each of the ten lenses so that you become comfortable using the lenses both inside and out of our class. You will also learn more about a philosopher, their philosophy and the lens of philosophical inquiry that they are most clearly connected to. Focus Question What are the ten lenses of philosophical inquiry, and what are some examples of how they are connected to the philosophies of different philosopher’s throughout history? Philosophical Inquiry Research Process 1) QUESTION - Develop the philosophical questions that you will use to drive your inquiry. 2) PLAN – Determine the types of sources that you will need to answer your questions. 3) GATHER EVIDENCE – Gather the information (textual, visual, quantitative, etc.) you need to explore and answer your questions. 4) ANALYZE – Analyze the answers to your questions, making sure to keep in mind the larger focus question guiding this inquiry. 5) COMMUNICATE CONCLUSIONS – Use evidence and reasons to write an organized (logically sequenced) explanation to the inquiry’s topic/focus question. -
A Feminist Epistemological Framework: Preventing Knowledge Distortions in Scientific Inquiry
Claremont Colleges Scholarship @ Claremont Scripps Senior Theses Scripps Student Scholarship 2019 A Feminist Epistemological Framework: Preventing Knowledge Distortions in Scientific Inquiry Karina Bucciarelli Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses Part of the Epistemology Commons, Feminist Philosophy Commons, and the Philosophy of Science Commons Recommended Citation Bucciarelli, Karina, "A Feminist Epistemological Framework: Preventing Knowledge Distortions in Scientific Inquiry" (2019). Scripps Senior Theses. 1365. https://scholarship.claremont.edu/scripps_theses/1365 This Open Access Senior Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Scripps Student Scholarship at Scholarship @ Claremont. It has been accepted for inclusion in Scripps Senior Theses by an authorized administrator of Scholarship @ Claremont. For more information, please contact [email protected]. A FEMINIST EPISTEMOLOGICAL FRAMEWORK: PREVENTING KNOWLEDGE DISTORTIONS IN SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY by KARINA MARTINS BUCCIARELLI SUBMITTED TO SCRIPPS COLLEGE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE DEGREE OF BACHELOR OF ARTS PROFESSOR SUSAN CASTAGNETTO PROFESSOR RIMA BASU APRIL 26, 2019 Bucciarelli 2 Acknowledgements First off, I would like to thank my wonderful family for supporting me every step of the way. Mamãe e Papai, obrigada pelo amor e carinho, mil telefonemas, conversas e risadas. Obrigada por não só proporcionar essa educação incrível, mas também me dar um exemplo de como viver. Rafa, thanks for the jokes, the editing help and the spontaneous phone calls. Bela, thank you for the endless time you give to me, for your patience and for your support (even through WhatsApp audios). To my dear friends, thank you for the late study nights, the wild dance parties, the laughs and the endless support. -
Principles of Scientific Inquiry
Chapter 2 PRINCIPLES OF SCIENTIFIC INQUIRY Introduction This chapter provides a summary of the principles of scientific inquiry. The purpose is to explain terminology, and introduce concepts, which are explained more completely in later chapters. Much of the content has been based on explanations and examples given by Wilson (1). The Scientific Method Although most of us have heard, at some time in our careers, that research must be carried out according to “the scientific method”, there is no single, scientific method. The term is usually used to mean a systematic approach to solving a problem in science. Three types of investigation, or method, can be recognized: · The Observational Method · The Experimental (and quasi-experimental) Methods, and · The Survey Method. The observational method is most common in the natural sciences, especially in fields such as biology, geology and environmental science. It involves recording observations according to a plan, which prescribes what information to collect, where it should be sought, and how it should be recorded. In the observational method, the researcher does not control any of the variables. In fact, it is important that the research be carried out in such a manner that the investigations do not change the behaviour of what is being observed. Errors introduced as a result of observing a phenomenon are known as systematic errors because they apply to all observations. Once a valid statistical sample (see Chapter Four) of observations has been recorded, the researcher analyzes and interprets the data, and develops a theory or hypothesis, which explains the observations. The experimental method begins with a hypothesis. -
Experiential & Inquiry-Based Learning with Youth in Non-Formal Settings
Working with youth in non-formal settings ensuring rich enrichment Experiential & Inquiry-based Learning with Youth in Non-formal Settings 4-H Science learning for youth can be deepened by building inquiry-based learning methods into programs and curricula. For over two decades of educational reform, science education has focused on inquiry as a method for learning and doing natural science in formal classrooms. When used to make sense of the natural world from within the discipline of science, inquiry-based learning is ‘scientific inquiry. ’ Non-formal program designers and practitioners are faced with decisions about which scientific inquiry methods to transfer from the formal classroom to the non-formal setting, which methods to adapt to better fit the non-formal learning needs of youth, and how to best prepare adults to facilitate scientific inquiry with youth. Why is this thinking important to 4-H staff and volunteers? Evaluation results indicate that inquiry-based methods support youth in Key Concepts their learning. Minner et al (2010) reviewed 138 evaluation studies and found that inquiry-based approaches in the science, engineering, technology ,and math Experiential learning: content areas had the largest effect sizes, or made the greatest positive Constructing learning through hands-on experiences that are difference, when there was an emphasis on active learning and involvement in highly social in nature. the investigative process (asking questions, designing investigations, collecting data, drawing conclusions, communicating findings). Hands-on experiences with Inquiry-based learning: Constructing learning through natural phenomena were also found to be associated with increased conceptual hands-on experiences that provide learning in the science content investigated. -
The Stoics and the Practical: a Roman Reply to Aristotle
DePaul University Via Sapientiae College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences 8-2013 The Stoics and the practical: a Roman reply to Aristotle Robin Weiss DePaul University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd Recommended Citation Weiss, Robin, "The Stoics and the practical: a Roman reply to Aristotle" (2013). College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations. 143. https://via.library.depaul.edu/etd/143 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences at Via Sapientiae. It has been accepted for inclusion in College of Liberal Arts & Social Sciences Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Via Sapientiae. For more information, please contact [email protected]. THE STOICS AND THE PRACTICAL: A ROMAN REPLY TO ARISTOTLE A Thesis Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy August, 2013 BY Robin Weiss Department of Philosophy College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences DePaul University Chicago, IL - TABLE OF CONTENTS - Introduction……………………..............................................................................................................p.i Chapter One: Practical Knowledge and its Others Technê and Natural Philosophy…………………………….....……..……………………………….....p. 1 Virtue and technical expertise conflated – subsequently distinguished in Plato – ethical knowledge contrasted with that of nature in -
Notes on Hume's Problem of Induction 1748 - Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding
1740 - Treatise of Human Nature Notes on Hume's Problem of Induction 1748 - Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding Recall: Subject of confirmation = How scientific claims are justified. This assumes that they are capable of justification in the first place. Hume asks: Is there a rational basis for inductive inferences? Hume response: No! Consequence: To the extent that scientific claims are based on inductive inferences, they cannot be justified. Example: All observed ravens are black. Hume asks, Can we ever be justified in believing the conclusion? All ravens are black. Two types of objects of knowledge, according to Hume (I) Relations of ideas = Products of deductive (truth-preserving) Ex: 2 + 2 = 4 inferences; negation entails a contradiction. (II) Matters of fact = Products of inductive inferences; negation does Ex: All ravens are black. not entail a contradiction. Outline of Hume's Argument (1) Matters of fact can only be known through experience ("a posteriori"). (2) Therefore matters of fact can only be justified by recourse to experience. (3) But any attempt to do so is circular. ∴ There is no justification for inductive inferences. ASIDE 1. Hume is not just saying that we can never be certain about inductive inferences (i.e., we can never be 100% certain that all ravens are black). This would be uncontentious: Most people would agree that there's always room for error in making an inductive inference. However, most people would at the same time claim that we are justified in making (some) inductive inferences, even though they aren't 100% guaranteed to work (i.e., we think there are standards by which we can judge good inductive inferences from bad ones). -
Contrastive Empiricism
Elliott Sober Contrastive Empiricism I Despite what Hegel may have said, syntheses have not been very successful in philosophical theorizing. Typically, what happens when you combine a thesis and an antithesis is that you get a mishmash, or maybe just a contradiction. For example, in the philosophy of mathematics, formalism says that mathematical truths are true in virtue of the way we manipulate symbols. Mathematical Platonism, on the other hand, holds that mathematical statements are made true by abstract objects that exist outside of space and time. What would a synthesis of these positions look like? Marks on paper are one thing, Platonic forms an other. Compromise may be a good idea in politics, but it looks like a bad one in philosophy. With some trepidation, I propose in this paper to go against this sound advice. Realism and empiricism have always been contradictory tendencies in the philos ophy of science. The view I will sketch is a synthesis, which I call Contrastive Empiricism. Realism and empiricism are incompatible, so a synthesis that merely conjoined them would be a contradiction. Rather, I propose to isolate important elements in each and show that they combine harmoniously. I will leave behind what I regard as confusions and excesses. The result, I hope, will be neither con tradiction nor mishmash. II Empiricism is fundamentally a thesis about experience. It has two parts. First, there is the idea that experience is necessary. Second, there is the thesis that ex perience suffices. Necessary and sufficient for what? Usually this blank is filled in with something like: knowledge of the world outside the mind. -
The Pragmatics of Explanation: Remarks on Van Fraassen's Theory of Why-Questions1
The Pragmatics of explanation: Remarks on van Fraassen’s theory of why-questions1 A Pragmática da explicação: Comentários sobre a teoria das questões-por-quê de van Fraassen Renato Cesar Cani Universidade Federal do Paraná – UFPR/CAPES – Brasil [email protected] Abstract: In this article, my aim is to analyze Bas van Fraassen’s pragmatic solution to two of the traditional problems concerning scientific explanation, namely, rejection and asymmetry. According to his view, an explanation is an answer to some request for information. The emergence of a question, as well as the evaluation of the explanations adduced, depends on considerations about contextual factors. In addition, I will evaluate the pertinence of objections raised by Philip Kitcher and Wesley Salmon against van Fraassen’s account. I will argue that their charge is not sound, for it actually misunderstands the role played by context in van Fraassen’s account. Although Salmon’s and Kitcher’s realist commitments motivate the point made by them, I will hold that a pragmatic account of explanation does not commit one to an anti-realist approach to science. Keywords: Pragmatics of Explanation. Bas van Fraassen. Why-questions. Asymmetry. Realism. Resumo: Neste artigo, meu objetivo é analisar a solução pragmática oferecida por Bas van Fraassen a dois dos tradicionais problemas da explicação científica, quais sejam, o da rejeição e o da assimetria. Em sua visão, uma explicação é uma resposta a alguma demanda por informação. O surgimento de uma questão, bem como a avaliação das possíveis explicações, depende de fatores contextuais. Além disso, avaliarei a pertinência das objeções de Philip Kitcher e Wesley Salmon contra a concepção de van Fraassen. -
An Argument Against the Unification Account of Explanation
An Argument Against the Unification Account of Explanation Michael Strevens Draft of December 2009 Abstract Unification accounts of explanation equate unifying power with explanatory power; you might expect, then, that an increase in the known unifying power of a theory would be accompanied by an increase the perceived quality of its explanations. This paper presents examples suggesting that there is no such relationship: a theory’s increased unifying power means that it explains many new things, but it does not explain the old things any better just because it now explains the new things. It seems that the relationship between unifying and explanatory power is rather complex—or non-existent. The negative implications for the unification account are investigated. 1 1. The Unication Approach to Explanation According to a unification account of explanation, to explain a phenomenon— an event, a sequence of events, a law, an ongoing “effect” such as the aurora borealis—is to show that it belongs to a set of phenomena which can be unified by a relatively simple theory (Friedman 1974; Kitcher 1981, 1989). A generic form of the unification account might, then, require that an explana- tion of a phenomenon e do three things: 1. Present a sufficiently simple theory T, 2. Present a sufficiently large and perhaps diverse set of phenomena E to which e belongs, and 3. Show that (the phenomena in) E can be derived in the right sort of way from T. To flesh out the view, three things must be provided: an account of what counts as deriving E from T in the “right sort of way”, an account of what counts as a “sufficiently large” (or sufficiently diverse) set of phenomena, and an account of what counts as a “sufficiently simple” theory. -
An Introduction to Philosophy
An Introduction to Philosophy W. Russ Payne Bellevue College Copyright (cc by nc 4.0) 2015 W. Russ Payne Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document with attribution under the terms of Creative Commons: Attribution Noncommercial 4.0 International or any later version of this license. A copy of the license is found at http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ 1 Contents Introduction ………………………………………………. 3 Chapter 1: What Philosophy Is ………………………….. 5 Chapter 2: How to do Philosophy ………………….……. 11 Chapter 3: Ancient Philosophy ………………….………. 23 Chapter 4: Rationalism ………….………………….……. 38 Chapter 5: Empiricism …………………………………… 50 Chapter 6: Philosophy of Science ………………….…..… 58 Chapter 7: Philosophy of Mind …………………….……. 72 Chapter 8: Love and Happiness …………………….……. 79 Chapter 9: Meta Ethics …………………………………… 94 Chapter 10: Right Action ……………………...…………. 108 Chapter 11: Social Justice …………………………...…… 120 2 Introduction The goal of this text is to present philosophy to newcomers as a living discipline with historical roots. While a few early chapters are historically organized, my goal in the historical chapters is to trace a developmental progression of thought that introduces basic philosophical methods and frames issues that remain relevant today. Later chapters are topically organized. These include philosophy of science and philosophy of mind, areas where philosophy has shown dramatic recent progress. This text concludes with four chapters on ethics, broadly construed. I cover traditional theories of right action in the third of these. Students are first invited first to think about what is good for themselves and their relationships in a chapter of love and happiness. Next a few meta-ethical issues are considered; namely, whether they are moral truths and if so what makes them so. -
Explanatory Proofs and Beautiful Proofs
Journal of Humanistic Mathematics Volume 6 | Issue 1 January 2016 Explanatory Proofs and Beautiful Proofs Marc Lange University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm Part of the Logic and Foundations of Mathematics Commons, Metaphysics Commons, and the Philosophy of Science Commons Recommended Citation Lange, M. "Explanatory Proofs and Beautiful Proofs," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 6 Issue 1 (January 2016), pages 8-51. DOI: 10.5642/jhummath.201601.04 . Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol6/iss1/4 ©2016 by the authors. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License. JHM is an open access bi-annual journal sponsored by the Claremont Center for the Mathematical Sciences and published by the Claremont Colleges Library | ISSN 2159-8118 | http://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/ The editorial staff of JHM works hard to make sure the scholarship disseminated in JHM is accurate and upholds professional ethical guidelines. However the views and opinions expressed in each published manuscript belong exclusively to the individual contributor(s). The publisher and the editors do not endorse or accept responsibility for them. See https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/policies.html for more information. Explanatory Proofs and Beautiful Proofs Cover Page Footnote My thanks to the organizers of and the participants at the Conference on Beauty and Explanation in Mathematics, University of Umea, Sweden, in March 2014, and to two referees for this journal. This work is available in Journal of Humanistic Mathematics: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol6/iss1/4 Explanatory Proofs and Beautiful Proofs1 Marc Lange Department of Philosophy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA [email protected] Abstract This paper concerns the relation between a proof’s beauty and its explanatory power — that is, its capacity to go beyond proving a given theorem to explaining why that theorem holds.