Philosophy of science

which demarcation criterion did the logical positivists suggest?

verifiability

what was the logical positivists aim?

be as naturalistic as possible (science should be like the natural sciences)

what is the main approach of the logical positivists?

using a deductive network to connect theoretical terms with empirical observations

according to logical positivists what do you have to do with theoretical terms if you want to investuagte them or include them in your theory?

you have ti operationalize them and link them to something observable

Describe the standard view?

• basic elements of science = observations

• theoretical terms only valid when operationlizable

• theories have to be deductive nomological (logical, deduce statements from it)

• all sciences are a unified system (same methods for everything)

• science is cumulative

what are the two pillars of logical positivism?

1. logic

2. sensory data

what are the problems with logical positivism?

• theories are made with language and language is never purely descriptive (wittgenstein)

• underdetermination (Quine -Duhem thesis)

• observations cant be neutral and objective

how did Wittgensteins opinion change on logical positivism and language change over time?

• first he agreed to logical positvism and thought language mirrors the world objectively

• later he disagreed with logical positivism and thought that language is subjective

what does Sellars “myth of the given” refer to?

what we see is always aready interpreted by what we know

→ myth of the given is the false belief that knowledge is made from pure and uninterpreted sensory data

what is epistemological holism?

theory and observation are one holsitic web and you cant seperate them

(the observations we make get their meaning only in front of the background of the theories we already hold)

what is underdetermination?

theories are underdetermined by data because data isnt enough to verify a theory

→ multiple theories can look right based on the same data

what is the consequence of underdetermination?

verification looses its meaning

what made Hanson a critic of logical positivism?

he thought that all observations are theory laden

→ theories dont just result from observations they also shape them actively

what is Poppers problem with logical positivism and induction?

no matter how many instances you see of something you can never exclude that there is on case that will not align with your theory

what is a good theory according to popper?

• falsifiable

• unusual and bold

• open to be revised

what is the problem with falsification?

• unrealistic

• in reality researchers stick to their theory even if the facts dont confirm it ( and sometimes that can be good)

What was the main insight after positivism?

• complete demarcation is impossible

• there is always some subjectivity

can different paradigms exist at the same time?

no

what is the main characteristic of paradigns?

incommensurability

what did Kuhn think about the context of justification and discovery?

they cant be seperated

what did kuhn think about cumulative science?

he didnt agree to it

what are the 5 phases in kuhns model?

1. preparadigmatic

2. normal science

3. crisis

4. revolution

5. new paradigm

according to kuhn, what happens to facts when the paradigm changes?

the facts themselves change as well

what is the driving force for a change in paradigm according to kuhn?

not the truth but competition between research program

how did Lakatos refine Kuhns theory?

he combined it with more rationality

→ the change of paradigm is more rational

Who was associated with “methodological anarchism”?

Feyerabend

according to laudan, what is the goal of science?

solving problems

who is associated with representationalism?

John Locke

what is representationalism?

our ideas represent objects in the real world

what are “primary and secondary qualities” according to locke?

primary qualities = qualities we perceive that actually exist in the object itself (eg shape, size) OBJECTIVE

secondary qualities = qualities that are not in the objects themselves but the objects has the power to makes us perceive it (colour, taste, sound, smell, heat) SUBJECTIVE

what is objective idealis?

• reality consists of ideas

• but the ideas exist independently from the individual

• the ideas are made and sustained by god

was Berkely and objective or a subjective idealist?

objective idealist

what are Humes three laws of association?

we associate ideas by :

→ law of resemblance (similar things)

→ law of contiguity (close occurence)

→ law of cause and effect (precedence → inferred causality)

whta is Humes view on causality?

its only a habit we have, not actually true

What are Kants “organizing tendencies”?

innate mental operations we use to organize sensory input