HPS100: Introduction to History and Philosophy of Science - Complete Course Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, arguments, historical figures, and methodologies from HPS100 lecture notes.

Argument

An idea, or set of ideas, given as a reason to believe some other idea, always consisting of premises and a conclusion.

Inference

The act of justifying one idea by citing another idea within an argument.

Deductive Argument

An argument form in which the truth of the premises absolutely guarantees the truth of the conclusion.

Modus Ponens

A valid deductive argument form structured as: All $X$'s are $Y$'s; $A$ is an $X$; therefore, $A$ is $Y$.

Modus Tollens

A valid deductive argument form structured as: All $X$'s are $Y$'s; $A$ is not a $Y$; therefore, $A$ is not an $X$.

Affirming the Consequent

An invalid deductive fallacy structured as: All $X$'s are $Y$'s; $A$ is a $Y$; therefore, $A$ is an $X$.

Denying the Antecedent

An invalid deductive fallacy structured as: All $X$'s are $Y$'s; $A$ is not an $X$; therefore, $A$ is not a $Y$.

Inductive Argument

An argument form where the truth of the premises does not guarantee the conclusion, but makes the conclusion more likely.

Data (Toulmin Model)

The evidence or observations used to support a claim in Toulmin's method of argument analysis.

Claim (Toulmin Model)

The conclusion or primary proposition that the argument is attempting to establish.

Warrant (Toulmin Model)

The inferential bridge or reasoning principle linking the data to the claim.

Backing (Toulmin Model)

The underlying justification or theoretical framework that supports the warrant.

Qualifier (Toulmin Model)

An element in an argument indicating the strength or certainty of the claim (e.g., absolute certainty vs. high confidence).

Reservation (Toulmin Model)

The specified exceptions, boundary conditions, or circumstances under which the claim does not apply.

Problem of Induction

David Hume's argument that induction lacks rational or logical justification because it relies on the circular assumption of the Uniformity of Nature.

Uniformity of Nature

The principle that unobserved instances must resemble observed instances and that the course of nature continues always uniformly the same.

Projection

A non-deductive inference moving from a number of observed cases to a specific prediction about the very next single case.

Explanatory Inference

A non-deductive inference (abduction) from observed evidence to a probable explanatory hypothesis that accounts for the data.

Ravens Problem

Carl Hempel's paradox showing that if observing a black raven confirms 'all ravens are black', then observing any nonblack non-raven (such as a white shoe) formally confirms it as well.

New Riddle of Induction

Nelson Goodman's puzzle demonstrating that valid inductive generalizations cannot rely on logical form alone, illustrated using the artificial predicate 'grue' (or green/blue emeralds).

Shapin's Thesis

Steven Shapin's proposition that 'there was no such thing as the Scientific Revolution,' challenging the view of a unified, singular historical event.

Novum Organum

Francis Bacon's 1620 work proposing a 'new instrument' based on induction to replace Aristotle's deductively focused Organon.

Middle Axioms

Francis Bacon's term for generalizations derived steadily from direct sense experiences rather than leaping straight to axioms of the highest generality.

Virtual Witnessing

Robert Boyle's practice of providing meticulous details of experiments (dates, locations, witnesses, methods) so readers could mentally recreate and trust the results without being physically present.

Nullius in Verba

The Latin motto of the Royal Society (founded in 1660), translating to 'take nobody's word for it.'

Social Epistemology

The branch of epistemology that investigates how knowledge functions within groups, communities, and institutions.

Pramanas

The candidate sources of knowledge recognized in classical Indian philosophy, which include perception, inference, comparison/analogy, derivation from circumstances, non-perception, and testimony.

Social-to-Social Trust

Gabriele Contessa's preferred model of public trust in science, proposing that society as a whole places its trust in science as a whole through an epistemic division of labour.

Epistemic Bubbles

Information networks shaped by omission that fail to include relevant external sources or alternative perspectives due to passive exclusion.

Echo Chambers

Information networks that actively discredit outside sources, creating a systematic disparity in trust between insiders and outsiders.

Demarcation Problem

The challenge of drawing a definitive boundary line between science and non-science or pseudoscience.

Fringe Science

Michael Gordin's concept that unorthodox practices sit at varying distances from mainstream acceptance as the inevitable shadow cast by professionalized science.

Vestigial Doctrines

Fringe systems of thought that were once considered legitimate sciences in earlier historical periods, such as astrology, alchemy, and eugenics.

Lysenkoism

A Soviet ideological fringe doctrine led by Trofim Lysenko that rejected Mendelian genetics in favor of Lamarckian inheritance to align with Marxist ideology.

Qigong Fever

A widespread social movement in China between 1979 and 1999 involving millions of people studying traditional energy cultivation and extra-sensory perception (ESP).

Jardin de Lorixa

A fourteen-volume botanical manuscript compiled by French surgeon Nicolas L'Empereur in Bengal, created through collaboration with local fakirs, gardeners, and Indian artists.