the philosophy of science test review

Science and philosophy were historically intertwined, what led to the separation?

the scientific revolution in the 16th and 17th centuries led to their separation. today when questions overlap its called the philosophy of science

Distinguish between the approach of a scientist and philosopher

scientists focus on explaining how the natural world works through experimentation and observation.

philosophers assess scientific methods and discoveries, raising questions about their implications for humanity through debate and reflection.

What contributions did the Pre-Socratics make to the philosophy of science?

explained the universe with reason based theories moving away from religious or mythological explanations. developed atomism, the idea that matter consists of invisible particles, a precursor to modern theories.

What contributions did Aristotle make to the philosophy of science?

collected and classified data from nature, using systematic observation. his approach dominated scientific thought in Europe and the Middle East for over a millennium

What contributions did Claudius Ptolemy make to the philosophy of science?

proposed the geocentric theory, placing earth at the centre of the universe.

this model, aligned with christian beliefs, became official church doctrine and stalled scientific progress

What contributions did Copernicus make to the philosophy of science?

introduced the heliocentric theory, positioning the sun at the centre of the universe. marked a paradigm shift (when a prevailing way of thinking is replaced by a radically different view) challenging long-held religious and political beliefs

What contributions did Francis Bacon make to the philosophy of science?

published “the New Organon” in 1620, which established the scientific method based on formulating and testing hypotheses through sensory evidence

What contributions did Isaac Newton make to the philosophy of science?

developed universal laws of motion using calculus, blending science with religious views where God set the universe in motion with purpose

What contributions did Charles Darwin make to the philosophy of science?

introduced natural selection in “On the Origin of species” (1859), shifting views from the divine creation to evolution through survival struggles

What contributions did Keiji Nishitani make to the philosophy of science?

questioned if scientific discoveries lead to nihilism asking whether life has meaning if we are just particles. reflects a shift in the role of philosophers from describing natural phenomena to examining the effects of scientific discoveries on society.

Summarize Kuhn's key ideas in “The Structure of Scientific Revolution

Kuhn believes science is a social construct, a body of knowledge that is made and influenced by economics, society, politics, and culture of the dominant race, class, and gender of a society.

What is “science objectivity”

refers to the idea that scientific investigations and conclusions should be based on evidence, data, and logic rather than on personal biases, emotions or preconceptions

What is the post-modernist, feminist, and scientific realist response to the question: Is science

objective?

post modernist: challenges traditional ideas about truth, knowledge, reality, objectivity, rationality and progress. constructed and deeply influenced by economics, society and politics

feminist: science used to be led by men and women were discouraged from pursuing scientific careers. topics like breast cancer used to be ignored. in 20th century feminists started questioning these biases highlighting the male centric view of science and its effects especially on areas like environmentalism

scientific realist: maintains objects of scientific study and theorizing exist independently of the minds of scientists themselves. theories can be objectively true.

According to Karl Popper can scientific theories be proven true?

no, he introduced falsification and says they can’t be proven true but only tested and accepted tentatively if they withstand attempts to disprove

Why, according to Willard Van Orman Quine, is it nearly impossible to prove false a scientific theory?

Because an additional hypotheses can always come up to support it even if it initially seems contradicted by evidence. (consider; the black swan)

What is the anarchistic epistemologist response to the question: Is science alone enough?

states that scientific method is the only way to understand the world and argues that predicting future knowledge is impossible. rejected the idea of having fixed rules for determining knowledge and suggested that future scientists might introduce new paradigms to understand the universe in different ways

What is the logical positivist response to the question: Is science alone enough?

logical positivists believe scientific statements but be true by definition or be verifiable (ex if it is raining)

says that most religious, aesthetic and ethical claims are meaningless because they can’t be verified

What is the instrumentalist response to the question: Is science alone enough?

views scientific theories as practical tools for organizing chaotic natural phenomena rather than true descriptions of reality. many scientific theories are based on inferences rather then evidence and should be viewed only as ways of thinking about reality.

Do you believe science should be prioritized in school, or should there be a balanced curriculum? How is your position influenced by your perspective on knowledge?

I believe science should be equally prioritized and balanced with all other subjects in the curriculum. I think this should happen because many people have different strengths so by having everything prioritized equally it gives all students the same chance to do good in school. My position is influenced based off all my elementary and high school career and seeing how some people do better in certain subjects and worse in others and vice versa.

Why do some people not consider subjects like sociology and psychology as true sciences?

because they focus on human behaviour. everything including human behaviour belongs in nature and can therefore be studied the same way as natural phenomena

What is pseudoscience?

presents itself as scientific but doesnt advance or explain as well as alternative theories

Why is astrology now considered a pseudo-science?

makes limited attempt to develop and improve theories in response to criticisms and is selective in choosing evidence to confirm a theory’s validity

Describe the NOMA principle, the anthropic principle, and/or the Gaia hypothesis

noma principle: operates in separate spheres

anthropic principle: suggests there has to be an intelligent creator

gaia hypothesis: world has a soul and is alive

In your opinion, are science and religion compatible?

No, in my opinion they are not because they do a variety of things differently such as methods like use experiments and evidence for science while religion is based on more of a faith and sacred tests basis. Also science looks at things through a biological basis while religion looks at things more based of belief and free will.