Philosophy of Science Exam 2 Vocab

Metaphysics

As defined by the Vienna Circle → gaining knowledge about reality through philosophical reasoning and not empirical (observable) investigation

German idealism

Tries to explain the structure of reality through analyzing knowledge/thought

Logical analysis

Determines the meaning of scientific statements by reducing them to simpler statements concerning the empirically given

Deductive-nomological (D-N) model

Says that explaining an event means showing how it follows logically from general laws and initial conditions

Carl Hempel

Was involved in the Vienna Circle; created the D-N model

General law

Statements that describe regularities that connect events; can be proven or disproven using empirical evidence

Determining conditions

Events that occurred in the past

Universal hypotheses

General laws connecting universal conditions to an event

Explanation sketch

Gives a vague indication of relevant laws and initial conditions

Pseudo-explanation

Discusses explanations in terms of “destiny” or “fate”; not empirically valid

Wesley C. Salmon

Studied scientific explanation, causation, and probability; described scientific explanation beyond the D-N model

LaPlace’s demon

A hypothetical involving a supernatural being that knows how everything in the world works; would it be able to fully predict the future and deduce the causes of past events?

Causal conception

Finding a cause explains a phenomenon

Inferential conception

Phenomena are explained by showing how they follow from laws and conditions

Causal processes

Continuous processes that transmit causal influence (light traveling through space)

Causal interactions

Localized events where causal processes interact (billiard-ball collisions); produce changes in processes

Interactive forks

 Forks that host a sort of causal interaction that causes events that are statistically dependent on one another

Conjunctive forks

Common cause produces two effects; effects become independent given the common cause

Instrumentalism

Theories are instruments/tools to predict and organize things about the world

No-miracles argument

If our theories about unobservable entities are real, than those entities most likely actually exist

Hilary Putnam

Asked the question of whether science’s success means that our scientific theories are approximately true descriptions of the real world

Principle of benefit of the doubt

If later theories expand on ideas from earlier theories, then we can say that earlier theories refer to the same concepts

Scientific realism

Science gives a true account of the world; accepting a theory means that you believe it is true

Anti-realism

Science can succeed without someone believing that a theory is literally true in all its claims

Empirical adequacy

What the theory says about observable things and events is true