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Brout Seminar

Brout Seminar. A Super Brief History of the Philosophy of Science. Three Guiding Questions. What is Knowledge?. What is Science?. What is Learning?. Epistemology. Study of Knowledge Classic definition: Knowledge is justified true belief Belief condition Truth condition

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Brout Seminar

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  1. Brout Seminar A Super Brief History of the Philosophy of Science

  2. Three Guiding Questions

  3. What is Knowledge?

  4. What is Science?

  5. What is Learning?

  6. Epistemology Study of Knowledge Classic definition: Knowledge is justified true belief • Belief condition • Truth condition • Evidence condition Plato’s Meno

  7. Some basic terminologyin Epistemology • Semantics and Syntax • Correspondence Theory of Truth • Fact • a priori vs. a posterior (empirical) • analytic vs. synthetic • Coherence Theory of Truth • Relativism • Subjectivism • Theory

  8. What is Science?

  9. Skepticism and Method Socrates’ Method Reductioad absurdum (reduce to the absurd) Principle of non-contradiction Internal consistency • guiding principle

  10. Reality and Abstraction Substance metaphysics • Things and properties • Essence • Qualities • Magnitude and quantity Nature of Abstraction • Whole to parts • Particular to general

  11. Aristotle's Principle of Parsimony “do not multiply entities without necessity”

  12. Scholastic-Aristotelianism • Matter/Form Distinction • 4 Elements • Earth • Air • Fire • Water • Primary Causes • Formal • Material • Efficient • Final

  13. 17th and 18th Century Scientific Revolution • Copernicus • Galileo • Descartes • Newton

  14. Inference to the best explanation David Hume (18th Century)

  15. KarlPopper (1902-1994) • Science & Falsification (“a hypothesis is scientific if and only if it has the potential to be refuted by some possible observation”) • Science is not distinguished from non-science on basis of methodology. • Science consists mostly of problem solving. • All observations are selective and theory laden • A demarcation between science and pseudo-science is established by falsification. A theory is scientific only if it is refutable by a conceivable event • Every genuine test of a scientific theory is based on an asymmetry between verification and falsification

  16. Thomas Kuhn (1922-1996) The Copernican Revolution (1957) The Structure of Scientific Revolutions (1962) • Progress of science not cumulative, driven by the application of a method

  17. Kuhn Kuhn’s History of Science Two projects: • Descriptive — what is the structure of scientific history? Normal science Scientific revolution • Explanatory — why does the history of science have this structure? Paradigms

  18. Kuhn (1) 1. Kuhn’s History of Science Descriptive Project: Immature Science Revolution Normal Science Crisis Anomalies

  19. Kuhn Scientific Revolutions The Ptolemaic model The earth is at the centre of the planetary system Problem: How to explain the retrograde motion of planets Deferent Earth Planet Epicycle

  20. Kuhn • Explanatory Project Why is normal science stable? It is conducted wholly within the terms of a disciplinary matrix: questions procedures problems priorities standards of evaluation All are generated by the disciplinary matrix

  21. Kuhn • Explanatory Project Why is theory change revolutionary? Theory change is brought about by a ‘gestalt switch’ a complete change of world view There is no neutral point from which one can assess theories from two paradigms simultaneously

  22. Kuhn’s Assumptions Dominant Paradigms As a field matures, one paradigm becomes the dominant one. Once paradigms are established research progresses quickly Paradigm guides direction of Research Paradigms give concepts and laws to build on. Paradigm Shift Paradigm shift occurs when old paradigm shown inadequate Paradigms are Incommensurable Paradigms have different world view. It is difficult to compare them Science defines truth relative to a paradigm and not absolutely. Truth is a story

  23. What is Learning?

  24. Definition Behavior is any activity of the organism that can be either directly or indirectly observed . . . (Powell, 3)

  25. Definition Behavior is any activity of the organism that can be either directly or indirectly observed . . . (Powell, 3) Learning is a relatively permanent change in behavior that results from some type of experience . . . (Powell, 3)

  26. Bill Gates & William Rosen

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