Philosophy of Science: Introduction, 19th Century Positivism, and Hempel

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering introductory philosophy of science concepts, 19th-century positivism, Karl Hempel's Deductive-Nomological model of confirmation, the neurological view of psychology, and critiques of psychological science.

Positivism

A 19th-century philosophical movement asserting that authentic knowledge is exclusively derived from empirical evidence and logical or mathematical reasoning, rejecting metaphysics and viewing science as the only path to knowledge.

Empiricism

An epistemological foundation of positivism holding that all knowledge arises primarily from sensory experience and observation, rejecting the existence of innate ideas.

Enlightenment (in relation to Positivism)

An intellectual movement that influenced positivism by promoting reason, science, and progress through rationalism, secularism, and optimism regarding human improvement.

Mechanistic Worldview

A philosophical view framing the universe as a machine governed by predictable natural laws, providing the foundation for analyzing human thought, behavior, and society via scientific principles.

Determinism

A core principle of the mechanistic worldview stating that natural processes follow predictable patterns that can be investigated scientifically.

Reductionism

A principle of the mechanistic worldview asserting that complex phenomena can be explained and understood by breaking them down into their simplest component parts.

Karl Hempel

A prominent 20th-century philosopher of science ($1905-1997$) who formalized models of scientific explanation emphasizing logical structure, empirical verification, and confirmation.

Confirmation (Hempel)

The accumulation of successful empirical instances of a theory's predictions, which strengthens the theory's credibility and increases its likelihood of being correct without establishing absolute certainty.

Deductive-Nomological (D-N) Model

Hempel's explanatory framework in which testable predictions are deduced logically by combining a proposed general law (hypothesis) with specified initial conditions.

Initial Conditions (D-N Model)

The specific real-world facts or circumstances relevant to a problem that are combined with a general law to generate a testable prediction.

Semmelweis's Childbed Fever Case Study

The historical application Hempel used to demonstrate the D-N model, where Dr. Semmelweis formulated the hypothesis that cadaverous particles caused puerperal fever and tested it by introducing antiseptic handwashing for physicians.

Hempel's Six-Step Scientific Research Process

The iterative cycle of scientific inquiry consisting of: Step 1 (Formulate a Hypothesis), Step 2 (Identify Initial Conditions), Step 3 (Deduce Predictions), Step 4 (Test the Predictions), Step 5 (Confirm or Refine the Hypothesis), and Step 6 (Repeat the Process).

Neurological View of Psychology

A 19th-century perspective grounded in biology that moved away from introspective methods, explaining mental functions, behaviors, and cognition as observable neurological processes governed by the brain and nervous system.

Thomas Szasz's Anti-Psychology Critique

A philosophical critique arguing that psychology as a whole is not scientific because it fails to satisfy Karl Popper's falsification criterion.

Michel Foucault's Anti-Psychology Critique

A philosophical perspective arguing that psychology functions primarily as an instrument of social control, whether or not it meets the formal standards of a science.

Course Evaluation Structure (Philosophy of Science)

The grading scheme outlined by Avital Pilpel, consisting of an essay midterm assignment accounting for $30\%$ and a final exam accounting for $70\%$ of the total grade.